Little Prince
by Scheming Rabbit
Summary: Iemitsu is not the only one with a notable bloodline. Nana's lineage claimed Tsuna long before Reborn came to train him for the Vongola. When Reborn goes to Namimori to train the Decimo, he only finds an empty house. Or: in which Tsuna is a prince. Tentatively All27. Side 8059 (or working on it, at least). Barely there shounen-ai/slash/yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

Reborn walked on the edge of the walls separating the houses from each other, balancing with a practiced ease. Leon was perched on the rim of his fedora, alert and ready as usual.

Reborn's new mission consisted of nearly the same details as his previous one—to train the heir of a strong mafia family. This time it was for Vongola, not Cavallone, but it seemed that the kid he was going to train was just like his previous student—clumsy and useless. According to Iemitsu, Sawada Tsunayoshi is a shy (cowardly), pacifistic (weak), academically-challenged (dumb) child that needs a gentle guiding hand (Reborn snorted, though unnoticeably). All of that would be beaten out of him soon enough.

He hopped down from the wall when he reached the address Iemitsu gave him, but the house he saw did not appear to have any residents. Plants were overtaking the yard, the windows were grimy with dirt, and the wooden frames of the door and windows were chipped away from the elements. Reborn took Leon's cell phone form and called the Young Lion.

"Reborn! How are my wife and cute son doing?" the excited voice burst out of the speakers. Reborn's eyebrow twitched.

"Iemitsu, you are an idiot, aren't you? You should at least give me the correct information so that I don't waste my time. The house you sent me to is empty."

Iemitsu confusedly looked at his phone. "What are you talking about? I did give you the right address. I checked it twice before I sent the info. There's no way that I would forget my own house."

Reborn opened the rusted gate, walked out, and took a closer look at the house. The nameplate, though old and obviously not taken care of, had the name 'Sawada' etched into it. So this was their house, but no one lived here anymore. Another sweep and he noted that, although the house looked uncared for, there were no signs of a break-in or a struggle. _So they left voluntarily._ "Iemitsu, when have you last visited your family?"

"Hm? What does that have to do with anything? They're safe, aren't they?" he replied uncaringly, fiddling with his pen that he was supposed to be using to fill out the paperwork nearly overflowing on his desk.

"I wouldn't know that, would I? They're not where they're supposed to be, according to what you say. The house looks like it's been abandoned for years."

"What are you talking about? They wouldn't have left; they have no reason to. Besides, they would have told me first," Iemitsu denied, flipping the pen around his fingers. He forgot that he had never left any contact info for his dear wife in case an enemy ever traced her to him.

Reborn tilted his fedora over his eyes in annoyance. Iemitsu was not giving the appropriate amount of concern on this topic. He growled into the Leon-phone, "Well I can't do anything about this. From what I see, your wife left of her own will."

"And I told you, she wouldn't have done that. She's probably visiting a friend. If that's all, I have work to do." Iemitsu hung up and continued "working", i.e. playing with the pen.

Oregano pushed open the door to the office with another stack of papers in her arms. When she saw that her boss was disregarding his work, she slammed the papers in front of him, snatched the pen out of his hands, and said with a cool aura, "If you don't start working, I'll give you a reason why you are unable to."

Iemitsu hesitantly picked the pen back up and started signing.

Meanwhile, Reborn was cultivating a dark aura about him as Leon skittered back to his spot on the fedora. Well, there was nothing for him to do here. It was evident that Iemitsu was unaware of his familial situation and he had just wasted his time. Reborn would just have to return to Italy and report to Nono that the Vongola heir was missing. He would let Nono deal with Iemitsu; that would be satisfying, at least.

If Reborn had bothered to enter the house and look around, he would have found a note yellowed with age addressed to Iemitsu on the nightstand in the master bedroom. As it was, it would not be found until much later.

_Hello, Dear,_

_If you are reading this, then you noticed that we are not in this house anymore. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you directly, but you didn't give me a phone number to call you._

_Tsu-kun and I need to leave. My grandfather needs us to inherit his job. It's quite an interesting one, too! Tsu-kun's going to be a king! I'm going to be his regent while he grows up. Doesn't that sound fun? I wish Tsu-kun could have had a normal childhood, but this is very important. If my older brother hadn't died, he would have taken the throne, but since he did and he left no heir, Tsu-kun is the only choice left._

_When you aren't busy with your construction work, come and see us sometime! We're going to be at Merith, the place that I told you I wanted to go to during our anniversary three years ago._

_Hope to see you soon,_

_Your darling, Nana_

* * *

The country of Merith was at 140 degrees north and 0 degrees latitude, in the equator and south of Japan. The island country, though not abundant in industry, made use of its fertile land to raise fruits to make the sweetest wines in the world. Unlike many modern countries, Merith still used the monarch system, but the royal family of Alsveith was dwindling in numbers. Currently, the family consisted of the king—who was getting on in years—his daughter, and her son—his grandson.

The king had previously thought that with his death, the country would fall apart since only people with Alsveith blood could keep control of the island. He wasn't referring to the people, oh no—the people were kind and could probably civilly live among each other even without a leading head for at least several generations before a power-seeking individual comes along and makes a grasp for control. He was talking about the land itself.

The lore specific to the land told of a shipwreck survivor that had drifted onto the island many centuries ago. Supposedly, the man had fallen in love with one of the spirits that controlled the island's weather and life, and he was loved back. The couple bonded and had a child. When more shipwreck survivors swept onto the shore, a human population was established, and the spirit couple became their rulers. A few centuries later, outside nations found the country and plotted it on their maps, but none attempted to overtake its territory. For some reason, storms would roll in quickly and the sea would become treacherous whenever a hostile presence approached. Merith became a neutral country, and no one tried to change that after the first fleets of ships and planes were sunken well beneath the deceptive waves usually so calm.

Very few believed in the myth, and only those working intimately in palace politics knew that parts of it were true. Spirits did exist on the island, and the country did in fact require those of the spirit bloodline to lead it, the reason being a contract between that first human and the spirits. The first contract specified that the human could live on the land as long as he did not ruin it like the spirits had seen humans do on the larger landmasses. In return, the human would make periodic offerings and keep control over any other humans that may appear. A breech in the contract would result in the complete eradication of any humans living on the land, no exceptions. When a Gale Fox became closely _acquainted_ with the man, the relationship between the spirits and the human turned friendlier. After more human began arriving on the island, the contract was modified to give them permission to have a small amount of industry as long as it did not excessively pollute the land and there were more areas with natural marks (i.e. trees) than factories.

The humans developed a system that fitted both the spirits' and humans' needs. Sweet fruits were modified and cultivated so that wines could be produced to trade for items that they couldn't make on the island. In this way, fruit trees were abundant and factories only produced items for the bare necessity, keeping inevitable pollution at a minimum. Luxury items were traded for. Both were happy.

It is in this island country called Merith that Tsuna lived in for seven years since he was seven. From what he remembered, Japan was a nice country, but the kids were not as nice. Just because he was quieter than most, he was picked on. Tsuna did not miss that at all.

When his mother got a letter and said that they would be moving to her home country, Tsuna had been a bit hesitant in leaving the only place he had been happy in. However, when he met his grandfather (who was surrounded by guys in black like the people in those cool spy movies) and got a warm welcome, he was not regretful at all in leaving his first home.

What he did dislike were the boring lessons that he has to endure as the prince and heir to the throne. (Like his mother wrote in the letter, she was acting as his regent while he prepared to take over. His grandfather had retired and was acting as a guiding hand rather than actively taking part in running the country.) Repeatedly, he slipped out of his bedroom window and climbed down the sakura tree placed conveniently nearby (at least for him; the guards that had to chase him down grew a dislike for that tree when they found that was how he escaped) whenever he could. The first few escapades ended quickly because of his notable clothes. The gold-stitching lined white flowing shirt and pants along with the small crown did not help him at all. After learning his mistake, Tsuna changed out of his formal clothes and instead donned plain brown garments. It helped him blend into the townspeople better, but the guards learned to pick out his distinct fluffy hair. Tsuna then started to wear a hood. Now the guards had to search out a small boy in plain clothes that covered his hair. Tsuna was thankful that they had difficulties with that. He did not want to start cross-dressing to escape them.

Currently, he was crouching behind a fruit stall while eating a peach and keeping watch for black-clad men. Out of all of the fruits that Merith grew, peaches were his favorite. He was not old enough to drink the wine that Merith was famous for, but he did enjoy the peach tea that was popular among the younger ages. Usually, he made a short stop to the orchard beside the castle to pluck a ripe peach to eat while making a short venture through the town before the guards found him and dragged him back.

He adjusted the dull green hood to make sure it was covering his face before stepping back into the crowd and following the flow deeper into town. He hoped to see something interesting before being forced into his lessons again.

* * *

Reborn stepped out of the ship and onto the dock. After informing Nono about his missing heir, he was sent to renew the ten-year trade alliance for Vongola Trading Company with one of its best fruit providers. Usually, he did not appreciate being used as an errand boy, but Reborn recognized that Nono was giving him a chance to cool off his anger at the Young Lion and have a break. Regrettably, because of his new "mission", he was not there to witness the chewing out that Iemitsu got. As unfortunate as that was, he would at least be able to get a few bottles of his favorite wines at a lower price than they would be in Italy. Even though he was as rich as he was, he still did not like to spend money freely, and Merith's wine was expensive even without the import costs, but it was definitely worth it.

Reborn smirked and walked toward Alsveith Castle, anticipating the delicious fruits and drinks he would be served during the meeting with the current ruler, a woman named Nana la Alsveith.

* * *

Sorry for the boring country backstory.

I'm thinking of putting in a few minor crossovers (Bleach and Kuroshitsuji). Suggestions?

I'd also appreciate a name suggestion to replace Merith. That was just a name that came into my head. No idea where it's from. Maybe also a title suggestion… I see I suck with names.

About Tsuna and Nana's name change: I figured that they should have the royal name. Sawada would be a hidden middle name... or something. It's still there somewhere.

About the spirits: I see them as humanoid figures with animalistic characteristics (like the ears and tails).


	2. Chapter 2

Reborn walked through the marketplace, perusing the fruits that were being presented. It seemed that his favorite selection of pomegranates were available. Reborn happily took advantage of his infantile form to accept free wedges of fruit, although he kept his fingers clean and avoided the sticky juice. It would not do to look messy in front of the queen. Being stuck in a baby's body was enough of a hit to his pride.

As he plucked out the seeds of a pomegranate, occasionally tossing some up for Leon, he noticed a small hooded child saying quick pleasantries at one stall then moving to the next to do the same. At each stop, the boy was given a slice of fruit or an affectionate pat on the head. Was the kid a beggar? He wasn't wearing as high-quality clothes as the rest of the people milling around the area and he was being given food by the vendors—probably taking advantage of their kind nature. He was smart for a street kid, but that wouldn't exempt him from Reborn's tendency to snatch food out of unsuspecting people's hands.

With his speed, Reborn had no trouble catching up to the kid and jumping on his shoulder. With Leon transformed into tongs, he picked up an apple piece from the boy's arms and announced his presence. "Ciaossu."

The kid startled, nearly dropping a pear. "Ah! Who're you?" he asked in a questionably high tone for a boy his age. Reborn estimated him to be thirteen, possibly fourteen. The boy, from what he could see of him, had clear brown eyes and soft brown hair. Common colors. Reborn thought he saw a flash of another color in his eyes, but it was gone before he could pinpoint it. Red? Orange? Other than that and his short stature, there was nothing notable about the boy.

Reborn took the apple and ate it in one bite. "I'm a delegate of Vongola Trading Company, Reborn. I need to meet with the queen," he said callously, aware that he would most likely be disregarded because of his apparent age.

However, what he did not expect was for the boy to simply nod and say, "I see. I can lead you there if you don't know where to go." The boy gave him a bright smile. Reborn looked at the boy suspiciously. Either this kid was gullible or he had higher senses than most and could tell that he was not as he appeared. The latter types were very rare; most people were fooled by his infantile body unless they were aware of his status as the Sun Arcobaleno.

Reborn was about to agree (because then he'd get a free ride while also being able to have easy access to fruits), but then a stream of palace soldiers flooded the narrow streets, inquiring about a missing person. _Who? A convict?_

"He got out again, huh?" a stall keeper behind Reborn amusedly asked her customer.

"It looks like it. It's been a while since he was able to get out. I think the last time was two months ago. He must've been kept very busy," the customer replied while picking up her purchase. She left without a backward glance, as if this was a common occurrence.

Reborn jumped off the boy's shoulder, nearly pushing him off-balance, and landed on the counter of the stall. "Ciaossu. Who is it that's gone missing?" he inquired.

The stall keeper turned to him. "Eh? Oh, what a cute baby. Where's your mother, young one? Would you like a peach?" She handed him a small slice of peach on a toothpick. Reborn took it and ate it cutely while looking at her, urging her to answer his question. She then said, "The prince has a habit of escaping into the town when he gets too bored. That child." She sighed affectionately.

_So the prince doesn't like to work_, Reborn concluded. _Lazy or just not prepared for the position?_ "Why does he run out of the palace? There must be something to do at the castle," he pointed out reasonably.

"If the prince stayed in the castle, the guards would be able to find him faster, so there is less 'break-time' for him. Her Majesty doesn't care; she thinks her son needs it, and I agree. The boy shouldn't have to do so much right now, but I guess it needs to happen. The king has already retired and his daughter—the queen—is only a regent for the prince, her son. He needs to grow up fast to take the throne. It's his duty and birthright."

_The system is rather like the mafia; he can't back out._ Reborn quietly slipped away and looked for the boy that collected free fruit, but he had disappeared. _Strange; I didn't even notice._ Reborn disregarded the thought and quickly forgot about him. It didn't matter to him. He could see the castle in the distance. He could just guess his way there; he had good intuition.

* * *

The hooded boy was thankful that the oddly tiny delegate left him. This way there would be no questions as he concealed himself inside a stall, coincidentally stocked with cans of peach tea. Tsuna pulled out his money pouch, which was in the form of a soot gremlin hung on a necklace, and took out a few bills to put in place of a can. He opened the can and took a sip while watching the guards leave the area. He smirked, pleased. His escaping and evading skills had improved. Unlike the previous jaunt through town, he lasted a whole three hours without having been spotted once. Maybe his next one would be even better.

Laughing quietly, Tsuna got to his feet and dusted away the small amount of dirt that had accumulated on the hem of his pants. He ducked out of the stall and continued his unofficial "break-time", applauding himself mentally all the while. Unfortunately, his victory cheer was cut short by an approaching person, who he accidentally bumped into. Tsuna looked up and paled. He nervously gave a tiny grin. "Ehehe… Hi?"

* * *

Reborn was let through the ornate gates and led into the grand castle. He settled into the meeting room while waiting for the queen to come. He took a seat at the table and consumed the small snacks that were placed before him. Although Merith had a monarch system, it was not so archaic as to make visitors wait on bended knee for the queen's acknowledgment.

Just under ten minutes, the door opened and the queen stepped in. Queen Nana la Alsveith… Reborn's eyes snapped to her face, and a jolt of recognition flashed through him. He knew that face; he saw it in a picture that Iemitsu had been waving at him while bragging about his family. Nana la Alsveith… Nana… Sawada? He was sure this woman was Iemitsu's wife. So this was where she had disappeared to. Was Iemitsu aware of her position? No, that idiot only saw her as a helpless, normal housewife. Oh, if only he knew… Reborn would have fun with this…

Another thought struck him then. If Iemitsu's wife was the queen, then Tsunayoshi was the prince. This might make a small bump in Vongola's plans…

"Greetings, your majesty," Reborn said in his high voice, bowing shortly. Leon gave a tiny nod to her.

The queen covered her mouth with one hand and laughed quietly. "Goodness, even after seven years of this I'm not used to it," she told him. "Feel free to call me Nana. I'm much more used to being called 'Mama', but that wouldn't be appropriate here."

"Nana, then," Reborn agreed. "I'm here on behalf of the Vongola Trading Company to renew the trading alliance for fruits and wines. The president wishes it to be ten years with the same terms. Is that okay with you?"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you I passed the trading overseeing to my son. I'm not updated on the product status anymore; I'm completely uninvolved in that area. He took over two years ago. I thought it might be too much for him since he was only twelve at the time and he'd only just finished learning about our country's economy, but he flourished. I had nothing to worry about. I'm so proud of him!" Nana clapped her hands together in motherly joy.

_Ho? So he's actually capable of bearing the work? Then he skips because of dislike for the work._ "Does that mean I have to meet with the prince to conclude the contract?" Reborn turned his mind back to his current mission. It wasn't necessary for him to know why the prince liked to slip away from his duties, although analyzing psychology was always entertaining. It was the reason why he could predict people's thoughts and actions so easily and make it appear as if he could read their minds.

"Yes, but I'm sorry that you'll have to wait for a bit. Tsu-kun seems to have gone to the town again." Nana delicately picked up a hors d'oeuvre and took a small bite. Reborn took one as well. Both sat quietly, enjoying the snacks and thinking about the situation. Leon crawled down from his perch and snagged his own treat. Soon enough, all of the tiny delicacies were gone and they started their discussion again.

Nana started first. "I know he's young and relatively new in this field, but it would be good for you if you do not underestimate him. He's rapidly learned how to handle his duties, and I trust him to do this. He's actually quite skilled with finances and learns from his mistakes. I'm not saying this to boast as a mother—well, maybe a little. He really is ready for this. He might even pull more benefits for us in this coming contract. That's how confident I am."

Reborn smirked at the thought of a possible challenge. _Not so dame, are you, Tsunayoshi?_ Iemitsu really has missed a lot of his only son's development—and such a large jump, too. From a common, even below-average kid to a capable little prince. _Maybe even mafia boss in the future._

"I'll keep that in mind when I meet with him," Reborn assured. Then he abruptly changed the subject; surprising his subjects always gave him the most candid answers. He presented the question for his original mission, "What do you think of your son becoming the head of a mafia famiglia sometime in the future?"

* * *

Contrary to what many people may think, Nana was not as oblivious as her outward persona projected. It was just a front. Aside from being a source of entertainment from seeing people so befuddled at her seeming ignorance, it was a good strategy at picking out hidden intentions. People let their guard down around her when she did so, and so it was an efficient way in figuring out any ulterior motives.

She knew that Reborn really did come to Merith for the trading contract, but now she also knew that he had been searching for her son to be the heir of a criminal organization. She could tell that Reborn was serious in what he was asking; that glint in his eyes told her all she needed about the validity. What she wanted to know was how he became connected in this. Mafia groups were strict in their choices of succession; they were bound by blood, and from what she had gleaned from her family tree, none of her ancestors had been involved in the mafia. Considering that many were either spirits or the ruling monarch in their time, most never even had a chance in getting tangled in criminal organizations in Italy.

Since her side of the family tree was impossible, she turned her thoughts to her husband's. Iemitsu had been very secretive in his relations, but she had never given much thought to it until now. If he had known of such a shady background in his family, then it was likely that was the reason he never bragged about his ancestors, unlike he did about his wife and child. Maybe he was directly involved as well… It would certainly explain his odd postcards. They were a weak cover-up for his true job. There was no way he actually directed penguins in the arctic, especially in just a thin t-shirt and pants.

Nana really had no problem with Tsuna's possible link to the mafia. It was his choice what to do in his life. She was definitely not a controlling mother. She believed that Tsuna making his own choices would help him grow better than if she were to push him into the directions she wanted. Besides, she trusted his judgment and character. Tsuna wouldn't turn to violence even if he chose to enter the mafia. He had never liked fighting, even in the videogames that other kids his age loved to play. He had a strong moral compass and liked to help people. If he ever did become a mafia boss, he certainly would not be like any other. (Unknown to her, there was, in fact, a past mafia boss that Tsuna was quite similar to—the founder of the famiglia Tsuna was supposed to inherit, in fact.)

So she just smiled disarmingly to Reborn and told him, "I wouldn't mind. It's Tsuna's choice, isn't it?"

Reborn readily agreed, "Of course," yet his inner thoughts showed otherwise. _Not if I have a say in it. I will definitely make him the next Vongola boss._

He would not relinquish his perfect mission record, not even for royalty.

* * *

Tsuna had finally been apprehended in the marketplace. His guards surrounded him in a close circle, keeping people away from him while also making sure he couldn't give them the slip.

"Really, can't you just endure your lessons? They can't be that bad, can they?" Tsuna's primary guard asked him.

"You wouldn't get it since _you_ don't have him as a teacher. He's _scary_ when he's angry, and it doesn't take much to aggravate him. He doesn't look angry, but I can sense his danger levels increase by a lot," Tsuna retorted. He was perched on his guard's arm with his arm loosely around his guard's head. When the guard lightly tripped on a small rock and jolted him, Tsuna reflexively pulled on the orange hair twined between his fingers.

"Ow! What was that for? You know I didn't do it on purpose." Ichigo rubbed at his pulled scalp with his free hand.

Tsuna immediately apologized. "Sorry. That was an accident."

Ichigo Kurosaki was in charge of Tsuna's security. He was thrust into the job by his dad, who was the head of security at the castle. He didn't mind having the job, though. Tsuna was a good kid—and he liked to carry him. His sisters, Yuzu and Karin, didn't let him do that to them anymore, saying they were grown up, but middle-school age was still very young—at least in his opinion. He didn't understand why they wanted to grow up so fast. He himself was a high-school student but had a high-end job; it was taxing on his mind, especially because Tsuna seemed to like to make his job harder. Ichigo had to learn to balance his grades and his guard duties, if only not to disappoint his father, an easy-to-please imbecile though he was.

"You know that Byakuya's probably mad at you now. After all, you disappeared just fifteen minutes before your lessons with him started," Ichigo reminded him.

Tsuna shivered imperceptibly in fear. "I can't help that calligraphy is hard. I only managed to master writing the letters neatly just two weeks ago. He can't expect me to write full paragraphs now, can he?"

"Byakuya holds high expectations on you. That just means that you have to work harder, don't you?"

"But I'm already working hard…" Tsuna sulked.

By that point, they had reached the castle gates. The guards posted there let them through, and Tsuna was finally let down on his feet now that he was within boundaries and under the guards' eyes, therefore unable to make an immediate getaway.

Tsuna abandoned any further thoughts of making an escape when he saw Ichigo keeping a close watch on him. He sighed and prepared to undergo another scolding from his calligraphy teacher, Byakuya Kuchiki, who was also the head of a noble family and one of the captains of the army. Even without the last title he would be intimidating. He had a cold, silver gaze that rarely melted—supposedly only in the presence of his wife, Hisana, and her sister, Rukia.

Tsuna entered through the castle doors, which the guards opened for him. First he went to his bedroom to change out of his "commoner's clothes". He got back into his formal attire after a quick rinse in his private shower. Then he headed toward his study on the third floor, which is where he should have been nearly four hours ago. He groaned. Captain Kuchiki would definitely be angry with him.

He timidly opened the oak doors and peeked his head through, hoping to first see just how mad he might be. Oddly, he could see no one there. Confused, Tsuna pushed open the doors all the way and walked in, taking cautious, quiet steps, just in case the captain was hiding somewhere to scare him. _Don't be ridiculous; he would never do that. That would degrade his pride._ Tsuna stopped tiptoeing at the sensible thought and walked normally to his desk. _He must've gotten tired of waiting for me. I'll have to apologize next time. Maybe sakura tea will soften him?_

Well, if he didn't have lessons, then he had to finish his paperwork. Thankfully, he had completed the majority of it before he went on his little jaunt. All he needed to do was evaluate the appeal for the establishment of a new village in the north, judge the fairness of a court case, and read over a contract for approval.

He needed to see if the spirits were okay with the humans settling there first… He'd have to plan an outing to the northern shrines then. Well, at least he had an excuse to go out now. Tsuna found nothing alarming in his senses about the court case, so he stamped it and put it aside.

He picked up the contract and carefully read over it. Most of it was the same as the previous version, which he had studied a few years ago during an economy lesson. Only a few minor adjustments had been made to accommodate the changes the world had gone through in the ten-year period that the old contract had lasted. If he added a clause here and deleted this… and maybe put in a stipulation there, Merith would have more flexibility in the relationship with Vongola Trading Company. Tsuna made a few more tweaks to the contract until he felt it would satisfy both sides. He read over it again to make sure there were no loopholes that may cause future problems before he signed the bottom and set it aside to discuss with the representative. Speaking of which, he should be here now, right? He looked up, about to rise from his seat, but then he noticed his audience that had been waiting patiently for him.

* * *

Ichigo posted two guards in the study with Tsuna and another two at the door. With that settled, he went to report to the queen about her son's return. After this, maybe he'd be able to take a break. But then again, he shouldn't get his hopes up. The last time he had a similar thought, he ended up in the western districts having to appease a peacock that Tsuna somehow ended up angering. He hadn't even known there were peacocks in Merith before. Then the time before that he had to track Tsuna into the farthest eastern district because Tsuna accidentally took the wrong canal when he was trying to go into the first eastern district. When he found him, Tsuna was making flower crowns with local children. Byakuya had not been pleased when Tsuna was an hour late to his lesson. Ichigo's daily spar with him that day had been particularly painful.

Ichigo nodded to the guards keeping watch over the meeting room before he knocked and entered. Two people were inside the room. One was a small baby in a suit and fedora with a chameleon. The large yellow pacifier contrasted with the rest of the baby's outfit, but it was oddly fitting. The other was the queen he was there to see. He gave her a formal bow before stating, "I found the prince in the first northern district's marketplace. He encountered no danger." _Thankfully, _he added mentally. "He's currently in his study working."

"Oh? He's back now? It's been longer than his usual time, hasn't it?" the queen responded. "I guess we better go see him. Come, Reborn." She stood from her plush seat and motioned to the little baby to follow her. Contrary to Ichigo's expectation, the baby rose fluidly from his seat and hopped down with no trouble. Ichigo followed the duo out of the room, and the two guards that had been at the door took their positions at the front and back of the group.

* * *

The silent procession made its way to the third floor study room, where another two guards were posted, signifying the prince's presence. They opened the doors for them and allowed entrance. Inside the room was a short brunet sitting at a large desk with only a few pieces of paper around him. His head was down, looking intensely at the page in front of him while he made a few occasional marks. They watched him for a couple minutes while he finished and looped a signature at the end.

_He's highly focused on his task and too open to attacks. I'll need to train him to raise his awareness of his surroundings._

The boy raised his head, and Reborn finally got a good look at his face. _It looks like I'm meeting a lot of coincidences today._ Reborn laughed amusedly in his mind.

The boy was the "beggar" he stole fruit from just a short while ago.

Tsuna grinned. "Hello. You needed to meet with me?"

* * *

Tsuna led Reborn into a smaller private room more suitable for negotiations. He brought his revised version of the contract to go over with the small delegate.

He had known that they would meet again soon when Reborn introduced himself at the marketplace. His mother was not in charge of trade anymore, so meeting with the queen as Reborn said he would was useless. Business management was in his hands, and he was proficient in it, if he could say so himself.

The negotiations only took five minutes since there were no glaring negative effects either could perceive from the edited contract. An official contract was sent off to be typed and printed. One copy would stay with Tsuna; the other would go with Reborn back to Italy to be handed off to Nono.

"Well, I guess we're done here. I wish for our continued alliance to extend far into the future." Tsuna stretched and made to leave the room, but Reborn stopped him. "Hold it. There are a few more matters that I would like to discuss with you."

Tsuna turned curiously toward him. "Like what?" He settled back into his seat.

"Before I came here, I was supposed to tutor a kid so that he could take the seat of the… _company_ his dad worked at. But when I went to the house he was supposed to live in with his mother, there was no one there. Can you guess why?" Reborn inquired.

Tsuna knew where he was leading the conversation. The situations were much too similar. He responded, "Because by then we had been long gone. So Tou-san never noticed that we had left." Tsuna frowned, displeased with how blasé his father was about his family. Did he even care? It's been at least seven years since their last contact.

"I called your father and he told me you were definitely there. I just proved him wrong. He's nearly four thousand kilometers off." Reborn would hold this over his head for a while. The CEDEF leader couldn't even keep tabs on his own family.

Tsuna sighed tiredly. "Well, what is the point of this? I doubt a tutoring job is that important to you. Someone else can take the company head position anyways. I'm already quite busy learning how to run this kingdom along with the duties I have been given."

Reborn shook his head. "Actually, no one else is eligible. The position is handed down according to bloodline. All of the current head's children have either mysteriously passed away or disappeared. You are descended from the original company's founder, unlike Nono; he is descended from a cousin."

"Why does blood matter here? It's just a company, isn't it?" Tsuna stared suspiciously at Reborn.

"And that's where you're wrong. Vongola Trading Company is a branch of the main enterprise, but even that is only a front to cover the true face. Vongola is the largest, strongest mafia group in the world, uncontested for centuries since its establishment."

Tsuna froze shortly, turning the thought over in his mind. Eventually, he relaxed. "Ah. Well, that would explain it. They're strict with their successions because of the 'family ties', right?" Tsuna realized. It was his duty to protect his people. If he was "family", then they couldn't hurt him or anyone under his protection, which included the kingdom. In that case, they were not a danger to his domain, and that was all that mattered.

Reborn nodded, but then added, "Vongola is not like most mafia groups. It goes even further because of a requirement that absolutely must be fulfilled. The founder had been given a set of seven rings, each corresponding to an aspect of the sky. The main one, the Sky Ring, is the one that matters most as it is the 'leader' of the other six. It has some amount of sentience, and the heir must be accepted by the ring or else it is impossible to become the head. The ring only accepts people related to the first leader, who we call Primo. Basically, if you don't become the head, Vongola will collapse."

Tsuna rubbed his eyes from fatigue. "And why should it matter to me if an organized crime group falls apart? I'm not interested in leading violent, bloody people to commit moral atrocities."

"Would your opinion change if I told you that it was originally a vigilante group?"

Tsuna blinked and perked up a bit at that. "What do you mean?"

"Primo first gathered a close group of friends to defend his poor village from common thieves and murderers. With time, the group expanded and became a line of defense against crime. But when Primo wanted to retire, he had no children at the time, so he passed the title down to his cousin. Unlike him, however, Secondo used Vongola for crime and it became the strongest criminal group. The two most recent heads have been gradually trying to undo Vongola's bloody history, but have been mostly unsuccessful. A larger push is needed."

Tsuna understood the hint. "You want me to take over and turn Vongola back into a vigilante group," he said, entertained by the thought.

"I didn't say anything like that, but if that was to happen… Well, Primo certainly would've been happy."

* * *

Tsuna and Reborn discussed his status as a mafia heir for another half hour before making a satisfying compromise. Tsuna agreed to take up the mantle, but Reborn would help him make changes and Tsuna would have equal priority in caring for Merith. Tsuna would not abandon his duties, even if he had a habit of escaping them for a short time. He was a prince first, mafia heir second…

Now all he had to do was get the advice of his mother and grandfather to cement his decision.

* * *

His mother agreed readily enough, like Reborn had known she would. They did not have a chance to meet the retired king until dinnertime, when the three royal members and the Vongola delegate came together to eat. All of them gathered in the large dining hall brightly lit by a line of chandeliers above the long table. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, made even more so by the artfully crafted dishes and enticing aromas.

A few minutes after they started eating with small conversations, Tsuna broached the subject first. "Reborn approached me with a proposition earlier, and I have thought on it deeply with him. I have set conditions down, and Kaa-san agreed with my decision."

"What is this proposition you speak of, Tsunayoshi?" his grandfather questioned. He put down his fork and knife on his finished plate, allowing a servant to take it away and replace it with the second course.

"He told me that I am the heir to another… company," Tsuna tentatively said. "He says I'm the only one left." He took a gulp of water to cool his slightly frazzled nerves. Reborn showed no concern.

"A company? Well, if you think it's not too much trouble, I don't see why you can't accept. What is the company's name?"

"It's Vongola, your majesty," Reborn cut in.

"Ah! Our own business partners! That would be very beneficial. Then I strongly suggest you accept." The old man laughed jovially.

"But… it's not just a… business company," Tsuna hesitantly mumbled.

"What, then? Is it secretly a major mafia famiglia?" his grandfather jested. He laughed loudly at his own joke, but then noticed that no one else was responding. He looked uneasily at his family members and the Vongola delegate. They were all serious and grave.

The silence was deafening.

"You can't be serious," he gasped.

"Uh… so… what do you think? Ehehe…" Tsuna nervously laughed. His previous confidence that had been so strong back in the small private room a few hours ago had completely dissipated in the face of his grandfather. The old man, who was normally very buoyant, was uncharacteristically silent and still.

"You think I'm going to let you become a criminal?" his grandfather calmly asked.

* * *

That night, Tsuna lay in his bed, staring at the full moon through the door to the balcony. _That didn't go over so well… _His grandfather had not agreed with Tsuna. At all. After a lengthy rant about crimes, reputation, and death, he finally quieted down some. He expressed that he would not allow his precious, innocent grandson to bloody his hands just because of the questionable words of a man he did not even know very well, having met said man only a handful of times during formal gatherings. Then he'd sent Tsuna into his room under lock, key, and a veritable mini-army of guards planning to keep him separated from Reborn until he left.

But Tsuna had already made up his mind. His mother had given him all the encouragement that he needed, and if he could make a large positive change in the world, he would brave his grandfather's anger and become a mafia boss.

So when Reborn silently snuck into his room sometime past midnight, Tsuna was ready and resolved.

"Plan B?"

"Plan B."

* * *

Soot gremlins: little black puffballs from Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro (Studio Ghibli)

I'm using characters from other series in place of OCs (I don't usually like OCs), so it's not a true crossover. They'll keep most of their original characteristics, but I'll be tweaking some so they fit the roles I need. They won't have a large focus either (this is a KHR fic).

Pairing suggestions? I tend toward slash. No cross pairings (i.e. Ichigo/Tsuna)… Or maybe gen.

And the typical question: if it ever comes to the point of having longer chapters or quicker updates, which is better?

Posted: 1/3/15


	3. Chapter 3

Tsuna had believed his grandfather would trust his judgment and support him like his mother. His vehement rejection surprised him. It had thrown off his original plans of getting his grandfather's blessings and help in implementing change within the mafia. But since his grandfather hadn't even allowed him to get another word in, he could see that no matter what he said or did he wouldn't get even half a step closer to his goal if he followed this route.

Therefore… plan B. He and Reborn had predicted possible outcomes and made plans to counter the more undesirable ones during their meeting, and Reborn even insisted on making backup plans for the backups, being the perfectionist that he was. The most glaringly obvious possibility was that his grandfather would oppose him. Even though he was a retired king, he still held a considerable amount of power and authority, especially since the royal duo of mother and son was not prepared to take all of the necessary duties. Little by little, more and more of the jobs would have been passed onto Tsuna, and perhaps he would've been able to fully take his position as king in another three years or so.

That pathway was already derailed, considering that Tsuna was not going to be staying in Merith. With plan B, Tsuna would be able to safely fulfill his duties as prince to-be-king and also train to be the next Vongola boss while residing in another country (since there was no way the retired king would allow such a thing to happen and would instead hinder them in every manner feasible should they stay).

Tsuna would carefully select proficient people to take some of his tasks and leave Merith with Reborn. Tsuna and Reborn would change the mafia from the inside, and after proving that the Vongola was not corrupt like the old king thought and he was capable in leading it, Tsuna would return. Hopefully the old man would be more accepting then. If not… they'll cross that bridge when they got there.

Basically, he would push his princely responsibilities onto trusted people while he went gallivanting with Reborn.

And if he had difficulties during the escape, such as being recognized… there was always contingency plan C—but Tsuna did not want to resort to that. Tsuna promised to himself he would only use it if he was desperate and there were no other choices. He wanted to avoid that one as much as possible…

* * *

Surprisingly, the escape went off without a hitch, and thankfully contingency plan C was not necessary. He put his mother in charge of Division One, which was the commanding division of the army. On the off-chance that someone actually attempted an attack on Merith, she knew how to enlist the spirits' aid, and so not much planning was needed there. All spirit-related matters were passed onto her as well. Tsuna also asked her to keep the plan a secret from her father and to run interference to lower the chances of finding him. Nana cheerfully accepted the job and request.

Tsuna passed off diplomacy tasks to his English teacher. He wasn't sure if he would accept, but Tsuna could at least trust that if he didn't, then it would be passed onto someone else equally capable. After all, besides being the head of a noble family, the British teen worked as the best detective in Merith. What Tsuna didn't know was that his English teacher had a shadier job as the regulator of the darker side of Merith's society. That particular piece of knowledge would not be known to him until the title of king was officially passed onto him. He was also the source of inspiration for contingency plan C…

Other smaller jobs were distributed by way of letters left in the doorjamb of the designated people's houses. Reborn was helpful in getting all of them delivered. There was no way Tsuna would have been able to do it all on his own (not that he even sent off a single one). For all his spontaneous ventures throughout Merith, he was not very athletic, and he hadn't started to learn dueling or any other fighting type, so the only physical prowess he had was speed and a little bit of above-average stamina. His grandfather wanted him to learn the kingly duties first; physical training was low priority since most royals chose to use the spiritual powers inherited from their ancestors. (And Tsuna was rather small; his grandfather didn't want him to get hurt while training, not that that would save Tsuna from Reborn's harsh training.)

With all preparations ready, Tsuna was all set to start the next phase of the plan. They had to sneak out of the castle and board a ship (unrecorded, of course. It wouldn't do to have their plan foiled from such a simple mistake as leaving a noticeable trail).

* * *

Tsuna changed out of his imperial clothes and slipped on plain clothes he dug out of the back of his closet, hidden under several miscellaneous boxes. He'd had to hide them when his guards confiscated some of his commoner's clothes in an attempt to make finding him during his escapades easier; if he couldn't blend in, then they could pick him out much faster. Thankfully, Tsuna still had some hidden away that the guards couldn't find. The clothes from the afternoon were probably long gone.

Everything proceeded smoothly. Skittering down the sakura tree (and giving thanks to the sprite that kept it protected from all attempts in uprooting it or cutting it in any way), Tsuna inconspicuously vacated his room, thankful that the night guards had fallen asleep. They must've been worn out from running and chasing him down yesterday afternoon. It seemed luck was on his side today; there were no hitches so far. Hopefully the streak would continue.

He shouldn't have jinxed himself. And such a stupid mistake, too…

* * *

The ship that Reborn and he had selected for their purposes was a cargo ship with the numbers _8059_ painted on the side that was set to leave sharply at six in the morning. The ship that Reborn had arrived in would stay until the one they were sneaking onto had left in case there was a need for a diversion. Suspicions would be cast on the Vongola ship while _8059_ carried its stowaways far from Merith.

Getting onto the ship wasn't a problem. They were quiet and easily slipped through the lax security with the aid of their diminutive sizes. The problem came after they "boarded". While Tsuna was staring at the workers shifting crates and machinery, absorbed in watching the process and oblivious to Reborn's attempts in getting Tsuna to hide, someone noticed them and approached them. Reborn kicked Tsuna's shin in frustration at his lack of attentiveness to background stimuli. He really needed to fix that.

* * *

"Hey! What are you doing over here? We're about to leave the dock! Get off the ship if you don't want to be separated from your parents," a cargo loader shouted at them.

_Damn. We were found. Then… plan L part two. Reborn is not going to like this…_

Reborn caught onto the gleam in his eyes and sighed inaudibly. _And here goes some more of my dignity._

Tsuna picked up Reborn, who proceeded to act like a sleepy infant, and turned teary eyes at the ship worker while subtly shifting his hood to ensure it covered his hair. "Please, sir, let us stay. Our mother recently died and our father remarried without consideration to our feelings. Our—our _stepmother_ has never been kind to us. She hurts us so much every day and—I just can't take it anymore! I don't want my dear brother to grow up repressed by that—that witch," he appealed with trembling lips and a thin stream of tears trickling down his cheeks. _I just messed up, didn't I? Oh well; it's a minor mistake. I can make up the back-story on my own._

_Idiot. Didn't I say that stepmother was too cliché? We agreed on abusive uncle! _Reborn shouted in his mind, although he showed nothing on his face.

The ship worker was alarmed at the sight of tears. "Hey, hey! There's no need to cry here. Calm down." When Tsuna sniffled and blinked away the (forced) tears, he visibly relaxed. "Now, where's your dad? Won't he worry about you?"

Tsuna shook his head forlornly. "He's only had his attention on his new wife. The woman says that soon he'll forget about us completely because she'll make a new family with him."

The man softened at the pity-story and stroked his chin in thought. "Is that so? Well, what were you going to do on this ship? You know we're going far away from Merith, right? You might never have a chance to come back."

"I don't want to stay here anymore. There are too many memories that link to our mother, and our stepmother is going to desecrate our memories of her if we stay in that place. She's already thrown away our late mother's favorite dishes, said they were too gaudy. Please, let us stay on the ship and take us away from here." Tsuna's voice wavered at the end, as if he was about to cry again.

"Alright, alright! Just don't cry anymore. This is probably illegal, you know…" Tsuna quavered, and the man hurriedly added, "But if you stay quiet and hidden, there shouldn't be any problems. Okay?"

Tsuna looked up at him with shiny, adoring eyes. "Thank you, kind sir!" Reborn waved a clenched fist at him, still acting the part of a baby.

The man flushed a bit before turning his head away. "S-so just go hide somewhere safe. We'll land in the Cape of Good Hope in about six days."

With that settled, the man left and Tsuna finally snuck into the lower levels of the ship. When they were securely hidden away, Tsuna let the tension drain out of his body and slumped against a wall. Reborn smacked him on the head with a Leon-fan. "Two mistakes within the space of five minutes on the ship. Really, did you think no one would see you standing in the middle of the deck? And we made contingency plans for a reason; stick to them." Then he sighed. "At least your acting skills are good."

* * *

The ride to Italy was smooth. The cargo loader snuck them meals and Tsuna started his lessons. He learned to hide better and stay alert (Reborn was particularly vicious about that since Tsuna's inattentiveness led to them nearly being caught and sent off the ship and Reborn's humiliation in acting like a baby—not that the ship worker knew that, but still).

On the way there, Reborn gave an in-depth lesson on flames. The sooner Tsuna learned about them, the better. The ship served as a good training field. Reborn had fun shooting at the little prince, who tried to evade both the flame-infused bullets and the ship's occupants. He was mostly successful—in the end he only had singed sleeves from trying to knock the bullets out of the air with a small wind current (needless to say, Reborn's flames were stronger and easily overpowered Tsuna's air manipulation, only managing to redirect them from their original target of Tsuna's shoulder). The ship workers stayed blissfully unaware of the hitman and his student, although the burn marks and holes in the walls of the ship confused them.

In turn, Tsuna told Reborn about his lineage along with several spiritual abilities that came out of it. One was the above-mentioned capability of controlling wind currents, which came from the first spirit to join into his family line, the Gale Fox. Tsuna did not know all of his inherited powers since spiritual blessings manifested differently in each person of his line, some skipping over several generations before becoming present again. His mother had the power to shift the earth, and from what he knew, he didn't. It was possible that the ability simply hadn't manifested in him yet, but Tsuna had a feeling he didn't have it.

* * *

The ship's destination, the Cape of Good Hope, was at the very bottom of Africa, but it made several stops along the way. One such stop was Darwin, Australia, where they unloaded several crates of fruit. Reborn and Tsuna got off the ship there after saying a farewell to the helpful cargo loader.

"So what are we doing here, Reborn?" Tsuna asked curiously. He thought they were going to take the ship all the way to Africa since Reborn never made remarks against it.

"What do you think we are doing, little prince? We're training." Reborn twirled his Leon-gun in the air before pointing it at Tsuna. "Be prepared. It won't be easy."

_Obviously_, Tsuna huffed to himself. Then he yelped and jumped to avoid a bullet aimed at his feet.

"I heard that," Reborn said.

_Of course you did._ Tsuna dodged another bullet.

"I suggest you stop snarking before I aim for real."

Tsuna wisely kept his mind clear. He kept it like that as they made their way deeper into the forested area of Australia.

* * *

"Are those ostriches?"

"No. They're emus."

"Well, what are we doing in the middle of a flock of emus?"

"Would you have questioned me if we were in a flock of ostriches?"

"Yes."

"Shut up."

* * *

Reborn wanted to use the emus for mafia boss training.

Oh dear.

* * *

"So… how does this work?" Tsuna tentatively questioned from his place on the back of a large emu.

Reborn turned to him from where he was perched—also on an emu. "My, you're full of questions today."

"Aren't I always?" Tsuna retorted.

Reborn shot at the feet of Tsuna's emu. It shrieked and ran while Tsuna attempted to regain control of it. "Didn't I tell you not to snark at me?"

* * *

Eventually, the emu calmed down and Tsuna apologetically patted its head. "What is the point of this?"

"You're learning how to lead an army," Reborn carelessly responded.

"…With emus."

"Yes."

"…"

* * *

Apparently, they were going to cause the revival of the Great Emu War, with Tsuna as the commander.

Tsuna still did not see the point of this. Reborn shot at his feet again.

Truthfully, Reborn just wanted to watch his student flail. There really was no purpose. After Reborn had his fun, they would move to their actual training location. At least it had the added bonus of throwing any trackers the old king might have sent off their trail.

* * *

"Well, if I'm going to do this, then I'll do it well," Tsuna decided. "So… how do I control the emus?"

Reborn polished his Leon-gun, not even looking at Tsuna. "Figure it out yourself," he told him.

Tsuna stared incredulously at him. "What? You're the one who told me to do this. Shouldn't you at least give me some help?"

"This is part of mafia training: finding solutions for impossible situations."

"If it's impossible, then it's not possible. That's what impossible means. You do realize that, right?"

"Wrong. In the mafia, the impossible is definitely possible."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

Reborn shook the green gun threateningly. "Be quiet, little prince."

* * *

Tsuna made no progress in learning how to direct the emus to his wishes. Reborn berated him for failing to fulfill his lesson that day. Tsuna didn't know how knowing how to control emus would be useful to a mafia boss but didn't question it in fear of another "lesson".

That night, when they made a campfire and settled around it, Tsuna cooked with ingredients he had purchased from a nearby village and hummed quietly. Reborn didn't know where he got the money, but he didn't ask either. Then he noticed something odd—the emus that had chosen to huddle around them were watching Tsuna attentively. He poked Tsuna's leg with a long stick to get his attention. "Tsuna."

"Hm?" Tsuna stopped stirring and humming and turned toward him. "What?"

"Didn't I tell you to pay attention to your surroundings?"

"I was. I didn't hear anything or anyone coming."

"Not that."

"Huh?" Tsuna didn't notice anything beyond ordinary, other than the emus that were still gathered around them. Actually, they were all looking at him rather intensely… "What's wrong with them?"

"Figure it out yourself."

"Again?"

"Is that a complaint I hear?"

Tsuna rapidly shook his head. "No." Then he turned his mind to what might have caused this phenomenon. Food… he had been handling food. He raised a carrot into the air, but the emus' eyes remained focused on him. None were tempted by the carrot. (Did they even eat carrots?) Then maybe… He tried humming a little and noted that it seemed to do the trick. The emus that had turned their heads away looked back at him. Some even stood up to get closer to him.

Tsuna continued to experiment with his voice. Certain pitches and notes made the emus move in coordinated motions. Peck, step forward, kick… After a combination of notes nearly made the emus run him over, Tsuna stopped singing and scrambled back.

"Hey, Reborn, I found out how to control the emus," Tsuna said unnecessarily.

Reborn watched his student, amused. "You dropped the carrots."

"Ah!"

* * *

The discovery of his suggestive song voice was unexpected but welcome. Reborn could see that it would be very beneficial. If Tsuna could somehow use it undetected, meetings with other mafia bosses could be concluded easily with far less destructive consequences and end in Vongola's favor more frequently.

* * *

Tsuna spent the next week practicing control with his voice, learning which combinations caused what, and soon enough his disconnected hums became a smooth, coherent song (albeit without words).

On the day of the unofficially unannounced war, Tsuna was garbed in black and gray clothes with feathers lining the hood that was pulled over his head. "His" emu had a tasseled harness with stirrups so that Tsuna could stay on it without falling off. Learning to ride it was a trial and error process, since neither Reborn nor Tsuna had ever tried riding a large bird before. Reborn sat ready in a bird costume on his own emu with Leon transformed into a saddle.

"Are you ready, Tsuna?"

"No. I will never be ready," Tsuna mumbled.

Reborn acted as if he responded in the affirmative and replied, "Good. Let's go."

Tsuna sighed heavily before letting out a few trills to get the emu army to start moving.

* * *

Like in the previous Emu War, the emus won, but this time they regained some of their territory (and it was against farmers, not the military). Reborn deemed it an acceptable victory.

Tsuna was happy that it ended. Although he liked the emus, it was far too odd of an experience for him to endure for an extended period of time.

They boarded a cruise ship under aliases, again with Tsuna's money. They would arrive in Japan in about two weeks.

* * *

The cruise ship docked at Osaka fifteen days later. Tsuna got them onto the rail system, which would drop them into their destination in another hour.

And Reborn still didn't know where the money came from.

* * *

The old king found out about Tsuna's escape the morning he left. The maid that was sent to fetch him for breakfast had been unable to find him and reported it to the old man. At first, he thought Tsuna was only sulking and gone into one of the districts, but when none of the guards were able to find him five hours later and someone notified him that Reborn was gone as well, he correctly deduced that they had fled.

He sighed tiredly. Didn't Tsuna realize that being a mafia boss is dangerous, both for him and the country? If Tsuna died, there would be no one left to take the throne, and the country would fall apart. His daughter could extend the country's life for a few more decades, but there would be an inevitable doom since there were no heirs after her. He knew that she would refuse to have another child just for the purpose of the throne, and she would be heartbroken over the loss of her dear son. As a prince, Tsuna had to put the country before himself.

He also wouldn't be able to take the pain of the death of another family member. His wife had died decades before because her guards had been inattentive the day she had gone out to the first northern district. When her guards fell behind, a common robber threatened her, thinking she was a rich housewife, and had slit her throat when she told him she had no money on her. And she hadn't; one of the guards had been carrying her things for her. The guards arrived too late, only managing to witness the murder of the queen. He executed the guards and the robber in grief. His son was cocky and challenged a dragon spirit into a duel in an attempt to impress a dame. He knew his son should have known better than to do something so stupid, so he couldn't fault the spirit. He sent an apology to the dragon and buried the remains of his son—what pieces he could retrieve, anyway.

When he learned that his daughter had a son, he was delighted. When he finally met his grandson, he was overjoyed. The child was small and cute, absolutely adorable. He happily watched his grandson grow into a regal little prince, yet he still held a childish innocence. He was a bit petite for his age, but that didn't matter to him. Tsuna was fair and kind, good traits for the future king.

Then that Vongola delegate came and told Tsuna that he was to inherit the title of mafia boss. He had experience with those kinds of people. A new famiglia tried to make its base in Merith under the pretense of being a technology-based company. They were swiftly taken care of, but not before they extorted some of the surrounding citizens of their money.

He was going to have to call a meeting with Vongola, this time without the façade of a trading company but as a mafia group. He would negotiate with them to exclude Tsuna in their affairs, to spare him from the bloody side of the world. If it didn't end favorably, then he could always forcefully _persuade_ them. Normal people can't fight against spirits very well; even his late son had trouble with them, and he had been trained to deal with them in case a meeting with a spirit ever went wrong. (And a dragon was definitely out of the question. They were ridiculously hardy and resistant to attacks, especially in full dragon form.) But the old king didn't know about Flames, and if a war ever was to break out, then there would be many more complications than he thought.

In the meanwhile, he set his best detective to find Tsuna. Young though he was, the British boy excelled in his job. An added bonus was that he was Tsuna's English teacher, so he knew Tsuna's habits very well. Tsuna will have difficulties in evading him.

* * *

You can probably guess who the English teacher/detective is… at least if you're familiar with the anime he is from. Can you guess what plan C is? There's a clue in his character, but maybe it's too vague. For people curious about plan C, it may come back in the future (maybe not, depending on how the plot develops in my head).

The Great Emu War really happened.

I think I'll try to aim for a weekly update with at least 5k words, at least when I'm not dying from schoolwork (four hard AP classes… are killing me). Acceptable?

Regarding pairings: maybe All27 with hints toward specific pairings. I'm not sure yet. It could just end up gen if I never get into romance.

Guardians are coming soon...

Hibari, Fon, and Alaude share the same voice actor, who also voices for Onodera Ritsu (Sekaiichi Hatsukoi). Cannot comprehend. They sound so different.

Posted: 1/5/15


	4. Chapter 4

_On the day Tsuna left:_

A gilded envelope lay on the tray next to a cup of Earl Grey tea and prawn curry. After eating his breakfast, the young master picked up the letter opener and slit the envelope. A delicate hand with a large sapphire ring on the thumb slipped the letter inside of it out and unfolded the decorative paper. Blue eyes roamed over the cursive words, quickly picking up the important details.

"The king has given us a new mission. We are to locate the missing prince. Prepare the ship. We'll leave in the afternoon," a youthful voice rang out.

His butler bowed with a gloved hand over his heart. "Yes, my lord."

* * *

Tsuna and Reborn got off the railway at Namimori, Tsuna's first home which he hadn't seen in seven years. He remembered the sunny afternoons in the park, baking in the cozy kitchen with his mother, the bullies at school… He grimaced. That was not worth remembering.

Reborn selected Namimori because Tsuna was familiar with the layout of the town. If there was ever a need to flee, then Tsuna would be able to navigate through the streets without getting lost. Reborn had also familiarized himself months ago because of his initial mission in training Tsuna. There was no need to worry about being caught for a while since Nana was sure to have erased information about Tsuna's early background.

Tsuna slung his knapsack over his shoulder. All that was in there were the only things he had brought. Any bag larger would've hindered his mobility, and he figured that anything he needed he could buy. All his prized possessions would be safe back at the castle; he didn't need to worry about them being stolen or thrown out, so there was no need to bring them with him. Currently he had four changes of clothes, his crown, his wallet, and some leftover food. (He had to take the crown since he accepted the title of prince. Leaving it behind would mean he was abandoning his claim.)

Reborn finally decided to indulge his curiosity and asked where he hid his money; the wallet didn't look that big and couldn't possibly have held the amount of money Tsuna had spent, and from what he knew, Merith didn't implement the use of credit cards. Tsuna just smiled mysteriously at him and refused to say anything.

Reborn stomped on his foot. Tsuna jumped in pain.

* * *

They stood in front of the Sawada residence.

"Wow… the house is very… dirty," Tsuna said.

Reborn scoffed. "It's filthy. Now clean it up. I refuse to live in these conditions."

"Or I could just call a cleaning service," Tsuna suggested.

"And how will you do that without a phone?"

"…I'll go buy one."

* * *

Ciel Phantomhive was an orphaned child who lost his parents when he was ten in a supposedly accidental fire, but Ciel knew it had purposely been started to kill off the Phantomhive family. He made it his personal mission to find out who caused it and get revenge.

Ciel was given sanctuary in his Cousin Elizabeth's mansion while his own was being rebuilt. On a cloudy night, Sebastian appeared to him in the form of a three-legged crow, more commonly called Yatagarasu in Japanese folklore, but Ciel hadn't known that at the time and merely thought him to be a mutated crow. He sat on the windowsill of Ciel's room, watching him silently. Ciel thought nothing of it and went to sleep, but the next morning he was still there. He followed him everywhere, going from window to window to keep Ciel in his line of sight. Then when Ciel started taking up cases like his father had, the crow trailed him into town, the countryside, the government buildings—he didn't leave him alone.

And when Ciel put together the clues and discovered his parents' killers—the British parliament, which had wanted to remove all traces of government involvement in crime, such as using the Phantomhives to hide the government's "dirty laundry"—the crow granted his wish. Yatagarasu took human form, a tall red-eyed man, and killed the guilty party. Sebastian never explained why he chose to follow Ciel, but that day, in the blood-soaked chamber, he vowed to serve him until he died.

All traces of Ciel having been there were erased by Sebastian, even the still-warm corpses. There was much speculation on what had happened to them, such as being abducted by aliens (one Gokudera Hayato was very excited about this particular theory), but no one ever found out what truly happened. After all, Sebastian was _one hell of a butler_, and _what kind of Phantomhive servant would he be if he couldn't hide the corpses of his master's fallen enemies_?

After seeing how corrupt and rotten Britain's government was, Ciel had no wishes in working under it any longer, even though the corrupt Parliament members were inevitably replaced. He expressed his desire in leaving England, so Sebastian suggested he go to Merith, his own home. Finding no problems with the idea, he accepted. They liquidated all of the Phantomhive's assets and moved to Merith.

Now, at fourteen years old, he worked as a detective, the private English teacher to the prince of Merith, the head of the Phantomhive family (diminished though it was), and the "Underworld Prince". The last title was not an official name, but that was what the shadier side of society called him since he was the controlling force in the less-than-legal affairs of the country. In addition, he acted quite like a regal, noble prince and had considerable wealth from his inheritance and his own earnings.

* * *

_On the day Tsuna left:_

Ciel sat in his private room in the ship, reading over the given information about the runaway prince. He read through the files several times, picking up on discrepancies and missing information. Someone had edited them… They mentioned that Tsuna used to live in another country for the first seven years of his life, but didn't note that country's name. It also omitted Tsuna's original last name, which was now his middle name. Ciel sighed in frustration. This was no help; he already knew the information that was written. Everything he needed was gone for some reason, so he had no idea about the likely places he could be.

He would have to take the longer route of manual tracking. He looked at the list of ships that had left earlier that day. The list of possible ships was thankfully shortened by the time frame. Only three were suspect—two cargo ships and a luxury cruise ship. He did not even consider the Vongola ship that left in the same time frame, knowing that it would have been left as a diversion. One of the cargo ships left at five in the morning, the next left an hour later, and the cruise ship left at eight. The maid usually woke him at 7:30, so the cruise ship would've been very risky. The prince knew she would've reported his disappearance, and if the docks were closed down, then escape would've been impossible as the ships were the only mode of transport in and out of the country. (The dragon and griffin spirits perceived planes to be a challenge to their authority in the skies, so they were always forcefully knocked out of the air, bringing danger to the passengers and the people below.)

Then the prince took one of the cargo ships. One went to Italy, the other to Africa. The one going to Italy would make more sense (as it was going straight to the mafia heartland), but maybe he actually took the other ship, hoping that the Italy-bound ship acted as a distraction… Or maybe he was using reverse psychology in making him think like that and he actually really did take the ship to Italy…

"Yo, Ciel, where are you?" Prince Tsuna's personal guard shouted out.

Ciel glared subtly at the closed door, which was bound to burst open any second. "And why did we bring him again?"

Sebastian placed the chiffon cake in front of Ciel. "The king recommended it."

Ciel closed his eyes and lightly picked up the fork. "We should have declined." He stabbed the cake in a swift motion. The taste of rich chocolate and cream enticed a pleased purr from his throat, which did not go unnoticed by the butler.

_Oh? It seems the young master is finally starting to show his hidden characteristics. A little late, but trauma does tend to hinder growth._

As predicted, the door slammed open. Ichigo stepped in. "Oh, so you were here. You could have told me. Do you know how many door I opened while looking for you?"

Cutting off his rant, Ciel asked, "And what is it you needed?"

Ichigo placed his hands behind his head and looked up as if in thought. "Huh… I forgot."

Ciel clenched his hands into fists, bending the fork still in his hand.

Sebastian regarded the bent silverware with slight concern. "Young master… perhaps it is time for a break."

* * *

Tsuna walked slowly between the display cases, perusing the cell phones and considering the merits of each. He was aiming to blend in with the kids his age, so it couldn't be extravagant, but he wanted something with good quality, something that wouldn't break so easily.

"What takes so long, little prince?" Reborn, who was walking behind him, asked. "Just choose one already. If you're worried about losing or breaking it, you can just buy a new one later."

"I think it'd be better if I just bought a good one now so I won't have to keep running into the phone store every time it breaks," Tsuna murmured. Finally he decided on a sleek black phone reputed to be able to withstand nearly any accident and had other features that fit his needs. He also picked out a durable orange case and a cute chameleon phone charm. When Reborn looked at him questioningly, Tsuna chose not to answer.

Reborn kicked his leg. Tsuna dropped his newly bought phone.

_At least I now know it can survive falls_, Tsuna noted after picking up and inspecting his phone, unable to find a single scratch. He attached the ornament to the phone. Its orange eyes gleamed at him.

* * *

Tsuna called a housecleaning service whose ad was posted on the city bulletin. He checked the interior of his thinning wallet and huffed. He was going to need more money to pay for the whole house to be cleaned. The money he had withdrawn during their stay in Australia was not going to last for long.

"Hey, Reborn, I need to make a stop at the bank."

"You're not going to use your prince's account, are you? They'll easily be able to trace us here if you do."

"I know that, Reborn. I haven't been using that account ever since I left Merith."

"So you're finally going to tell me where all your money comes from?"

"Maybe~" Tsuna hummed playfully.

Reborn looked into Tsuna's eyes. "Acting coy does not endear you to me."

Tsuna flushed and hurriedly yelled, "I wasn't trying to!"

* * *

Tsuna withdrew some money from an account under the name of Vin Jameson. He caught Reborn's eye and answered the question that lingered there.

"I made a couple personas within Merith's main wine company in case this ever happened."

"You anticipated being called to become a mafia boss and running to Japan for temporary asylum?" Reborn sarcastically asked.

Tsuna covered his mouth and laughed sheepishly. "Uh… I might've been planning to take a vacation in a foreign country back when I was still in Merith. I hadn't chosen my destination yet, so I made several bank accounts in a variety of locations to give myself some prepared choices and just in case one was discovered."

_He would go that far to take a break from work? I'll have to beat a stronger work ethic into him…_

Tsuna noticed Reborn's rather frightening expression and nervously asked, "Huh? Reborn? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Reborn smirked with questionable glee. "Nothing."

_He's lying_, a voice whispered in Tsuna's mind.

Reborn deciphered Tsuna's agitated movements and deduced his thoughts. _His Hyper Intuition is making an appearance._ "Problem, little prince?"

Tsuna hastily shook his head.

* * *

After the housecleaners returned the house to its former inhabitable state, Tsuna paid a considerable bill and gave them a hefty tip. Seven years of dust and grime was a lot of work to remove, after all. Some of the furniture was beyond saving, however. It seemed a family of mice found the couch to be a suitable burrow, and an eclipse of moths tore open most of the fabric. The mattresses, futons, and clothes had to be replaced as well. At the same time, they bought food to fill the emptied refrigerator and pantry.

The seven-years-old note that still lay unread was put away in a compartment of his parents' nightstand. He wanted to keep it so that his father—if he ever came home, which seemed doubtful at this point—could read it. It was the way he wanted his father to learn about his mother's side of his lineage. If he never came back and found the note in that small drawer, then he would never know, and Tsuna would never tell him. It was petty vindication, Tsuna knew, but he wanted at least that—to have the man read his wife's words years too late rather than never. Maybe if he did, then guilt would settle in and he would keep in contact with his mother more. Tsuna was not oblivious to his mother's forlorn sighs as she looked at the ridiculous wedding picture on their anniversary.

Tsuna reclaimed his room, not wanting to intrude on his parents' room even though they weren't there, or even likely to come by anytime soon. Reborn set up a hammock near Tsuna's bed instead of taking one of the empty guest rooms.

* * *

"Say, Reborn, do you know how to cook?" Tsuna idly queried as he put away the groceries.

Reborn took a sip of his espresso that he made himself earlier. "And why do you need to know something like that?"

Tsuna worriedly looked at Reborn, who was still uncaringly sitting against the wall on the kitchen counter. "If you don't, then we're in a bit of trouble. Other than helping Kaa-san in the kitchen when I was younger, I have no experience in cooking. I never needed to learn how since it was the chefs' job at the castle."

Reborn stirred his coffee around, still not making eye contact with Tsuna. "And now you have a reason to."

"What? Why don't _you_ learn?" Tsuna shot back. He stepped back when Reborn's Leon-gun glinted dangerously in his direction.

Reborn's fedora covered his eyes darkly. "I do hope you are not complaining. Are you?"

Tsuna learned to keep his complaints to himself that afternoon (although Reborn could still predict what he thought, as long as he did not voice it out Reborn did not attack and he was safe).

* * *

Tsuna was taking a break from all of the strenuous exertion. He hadn't done something like that in a long while. The only situation close to that was when he happily accepted free fresh fruit from the marketplace vendors in Merith, but the load was a lot lighter then.

Today he carried ten bags of groceries, and Reborn didn't offer to take a single one. He walked strain-free next to Tsuna, watching as his student struggled to keep a hold of all of the bags. A mother surrounded by four kids passed them, carrying twice the load that Tsuna had and giving a passing glance at the duo curiously.

"How do… normal people do this… so frequently?" Tsuna gasped out.

"Royal life has been detrimental to your physical state. You're pathetically weak right now," Reborn reflected. It was actually rather pitiful watching the small teen strain under the groceries. It wasn't like they were particularly heavy either. Reborn continued walking at the same pace, disregarding Tsuna's slowing footsteps.

Tsuna put down the bags to take a breath. After getting control of his lungs back, he responded, "Getting control over the supernatural powers that I discovered was more important. If a meeting with a spirit ever went wrong, that was what I would've needed. Besides, Grandfather didn't want me to start physical training until I was bigger."

_From what I can see, you won't be getting very tall, and the old king probably knew that, too._ "Well you're going to need it in the mafia life. We'll start training soon." Cue another sadistic grin.

Tsuna didn't see it this time as he was still desperately trying to regain normal amounts of oxygen in his body, but he did feel a dreadful apprehensiveness. _Why do I feel like a pack of hellhounds are about to chase me?_

* * *

"Now, we're going to assimilate into the general populace to make being found harder, so you'll have to act your age and do what every other kid does—go to school. Do you have a preference in schools? Namimori is closest, but if you want to make being found harder, we can use plan C part one and have you go to Midori—"

Tsuna's early school life flashed in his mind. He shook the memories out and blocked them. "Can't we just say that I'm being homeschooled? I already know the material anyways." He didn't want to experience bullying again; a year of it was enough—actually, he never wanted to go through it in the first place.

Reborn immediately rejected the suggestion. "No. That'll make you stand out. Most kids here attend a public school, and you are supposed to be a common child."

Tsuna knew it was coming; he was just denying it for as long as he could. He was going to go back into a public school, where other kids had little respect for other people, and even worse was that it was the stage in which hormones started to make an appearance. Tsuna shuddered, aghast at the thought.

Reborn frowned. "Is there something you want to tell me, little prince?"

Tsuna shook his head and got up from the couch. "No. Do what you want."

So nonchalant about school? Fine. He would. Then maybe he would take education seriously… even if he already learned those course levels. Hey, it was the concept that mattered.

* * *

They weren't hellhounds, but they were pretty close—at least in Tsuna's opinion.

Reborn had rounded up every stray dog he could find—and even snuck some out of the local pound—to give _motivation_ to Tsuna as he ran laps around the perimeter of Namimori. With a blood-dripping steak attached to his jacket.

Wonderful.

Nearby people looked up from what they were doing at the sound of the panicked gasps of a young boy. They curiously watched the aforementioned boy tear down the street, and then quickly got out of the way of a baying pack of miscellaneous dogs that followed.

Reborn noted that Tsuna's speed was at a good level, and his stamina was higher than he expected. He just had to work on his muscle strength… and possibly coordination, Reborn considered as Tsuna nearly ran into a streetlight, just barely managing to swerve away at the last moment. Oh… and background awareness has gotten better. Tsuna sharply turned to avoid the jump of a dog that had gotten close.

Tsuna was beginning to slow down. It was enough training for the first day, so Reborn left to rescue his student from the pack of dogs.

* * *

Reborn was filling in Tsuna's forms for Namimori Middle. Most of it was simple—name, age, birthday—but some he had to get creative with.

Name of guardian… Bianchi. Nana wasn't here to cover for Tsuna, so she couldn't be listed as guardian. Bianchi would be here soon along with her brother, who Reborn planned to make into Tsuna's Storm Guardian. She was the only legal adult that would be in the household, so really she was the only viable choice. Tsuna probably wouldn't mind the tweak in his guardianship, but if he did… Reborn had a way to change his mind. Forcefully.

Emergency contact… He wrote in Bianchi's information. Not much to do there.

Allergies… From what he observed, Tsuna didn't have any allergies, but just for fun, he wrote in cucumbers. And maybe a couple more.

Health problems… Well, Tsuna didn't carry around a pill case, so he likely didn't have anything serious, if any. He wrote "None".

Reborn knew he could just tell Tsuna to do it, but the little prince was just so _tired_ from all that running today and needed his rest…

Actually, Reborn just wanted to mess with the school, even if it was in such a minor way. Besides, it wasn't going to hurt anyone, right? And Tsuna _did_ say to do whatever he wanted… He should be thankful he was not applying him for Midori.

* * *

Ciel decided that they would investigate all of the possible places that the two cargo ships docked in. So far, they searched three cities and their surrounding areas, but there were no signs of the prince.

Ciel and Sebastian were in Darwin, Australia, one of the places that _8059_ stopped at. Surprisingly, the moment they got off, they met face to face with an emu. Sebastian picked Ciel up and batted the bird away. It screeched and attempted a peck before fleeing.

"Why are there so many ostriches in this city?" Ciel asked, irritated.

"They are emus, young master," Sebastian corrected. "I do believe this is not a normal state for this town. The last I heard about Australia, the emus lived deeper in."

Their conversation caught the attention of some of the people that had been standing nearby. "Indeed, that was true until two weeks ago," a local who had been listening in told him.

Ciel motioned to Sebastian to let him down. Once he had both feet on the ground, he faced the local and inquired, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, the emus made a comeback and restarted the Emu War, but this time with an organized force. They had someone leading them—sat on an emu and directed them. It's the oddest thing I ever witnessed. The emus even won the bloody war again!"

"And who was this person?" Sebastian queried.

"We don't know who specifically, but we call him the Mob Lord. That's his emu over there."

The emu he pointed out had a fancy tasseled harness and a feathery crown on its head. The emus around it had their heads lowered to it. It trilled, pleased at their deference.

Ciel immediately knew it was the prince that was the so-called Mob Lord. He had a tendency to do strange and random things and it was much too coincidental that this would happen in an area the prince might've been at. Still, this was the first time that he led an animal army. The title was also oddly fitting seeing as how the prince was striving to become a mafia boss.

…It seemed the prince was going through an unusual phase of his life. Hopefully it would be over soon.

Sebastian hummed in thought. "Does this count as his first successful military venture?"

"I'll have to ask the king. Come, Sebastian. We'll ask around for more information about where he might've gone."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

The doorbell rang. Tsuna instantly raised his head from the couch on which he had been recuperating. "There's no way they could've found us this quickly, could they?"

"Of course not. I hid our tracks fairly well. It will take them much more time than that to find us," Reborn replied confidently. "I believe we have some guests. Go get the door," he added when Tsuna didn't move.

"Sure, sure." With trembling, exhausted limbs, Tsuna painfully got off the couch and shuffled to the door. He undid the locks and pulled the door open. Two people stood before him—actually, one was being carried by the other.

The woman with light pink adjusted the boy on her back before she announced, "I'm here to see my beloved, Reborn."

* * *

Cell phone is two words. A group of emus is called a mob. How convenient for me.

One guest reviewer guessed the identity of the English teacher/detective. The Crossover Addict and guest reviewer yukari guessed plan C. Good job. Wow. I guess very few people watch/read Kuroshitsuji anymore. I haven't read/watched Detective Conan, although I might watch Magic Kaito at some point. Edit: I tried to watch the first episode, but their noses… and the voice of the main character… and why has that girl not filed for sexual harassment yet?

Sorry to the British people. I needed to substitute the evil queen from Kuroshitsuji with the modern day governing body. I mean no offense.

Byakuya/Ichigo is not possible. He's married to Hisana, so sorry.

This will never have a lemon in it. Or a lime. Or whatever else citrus fruit.

This story will not reach the point of Tsuna choosing a permanent partner and having a child, so let's not worry about that… I'm leaving it open-ended regarding that matter. The story's not going to be heavy on romance—very little attention on it, actually.

The weekly posting schedule will be effective… soon. School restarts on Monday (and I haven't done my Winter Break work). _Despair._

My chapters are closer to 4k words than 5k like I said… Eh.

Posted: 1/9/15


	5. Chapter 5

"Please come in." Tsuna stepped aside to let the woman inside.

"Thank you," she returned politely. She slid off her own shoes, pulled off the unconscious person's shoes, and walked further inside the house.

Tsuna shut the door quietly after her. He worriedly looked at the comatose person she carried. "Is he okay?" The person moaned indistinctly.

"Probably. He gets like this whenever he sees me," the woman replied as if such a situation was normal.

Tsuna decided not to question further for now. "You can lay him on the couch," he directed. She dropped him onto the cushions, and Tsuna positioned him to be more comfortable. He fetched a bowl of cool water and a cloth to wet and place on his head.

Meanwhile, the guest approached the tiny hitman. "Reborn, I've missed you," she greeted happily.

"It's good to see you too, Bianchi."

"So what did you need me for, Reborn?" She leaned in closer to him, letting her hair fall over her shoulder seductively.

Completely ignoring the display, Reborn turned to the direction of his student, who was fretting over the still-unconscious boy. "I want you to take care of him—train him, protect him. And you can't kill him, or we'll have a major political issue on our hands. I don't want to deal with that."

"_That's_ what you care about?" Tsuna mumbled, able to hear the not-so-private conversation.

There was a pained moan that indicated the silver-haired teen was waking up. The wet cloth that had been covering his forehead fell off as he gradually lifted himself up from his prostrate position on the couch. He blinked slowly to clear his vision, but the fuzziness disappeared instantly when he saw who sat in front of him.

"What is Prince Tsunayoshi la Alsveith doing here?" Then he noticed the small shadow lurking in the background. "And with the world's greatest hitman?"

"Hayato, you know him?" his sister asked, surprised. Reborn looked interested as well, jumping onto the back of the couch to get closer.

Gokudera was careful not to look at Bianchi, hoping to keep his fragile stomach from failing again. "Yes. Prince Tsunayoshi helped me when I was wounded during a botched assassination in Merith. He took me to the castle and had me healed and fed." Then his eyes turned scarily bright. "When I was depressed about my failure, he told me that it was okay I made a mistake and I would find a place to belong eventually, that I didn't have to force myself to try and fit other people's expectations."

He turned his sparkling eyes to the prince. "It must be fate that we met again."

Reborn knew how to turn an unexpected situation into a favorable one, and if he played his cards right… "Of course," Reborn agreed easily. "After all, you were called here to test the Vongola Decimo candidate and it turns out to be your savior."

"Vongola Decimo? He is definitely worthy!" Gokudera faced the shocked prince and bowed lowly—as much as he could while still on the couch, anyway. "Please, if it would please you, let me be your Storm Guardian!"

"A-ah. Okay…?" Tsuna stuttered unsurely. He was still a bit surprised that the previous sickly person could spring back so quickly from near-death.

"That was easy," Reborn contemplated. Then he addressed the new Guardian. "You're his first recruit, so you'll have to guide him in some areas. He still doesn't know about the jobs of the Guardians."

"I accept, Reborn-san. I will help him however it is possible!"

Tsuna was stunned by the sheer enthusiasm that Gokudera exuded. He could feel it coming off him in waves. "That's nice, Gokudera-kun. But for now, you should have some rest." He still worried about his abrupt recovery; that wasn't possible, was it?

"The prince is so caring," Gokudera whispered wondrously at the amount of concern he showed him.

"Let's go have some tea," Reborn suggested to Bianchi. The duo left the two teens to get the unexpected reunion out of their system and settled their relationship dynamics. Tsuna still tried to convince the silver-haired teen to lie back down while Gokudera adamantly (and gently) refused and insisted the prince sit down on the couch instead. It would take a while, it seemed. A very long while.

* * *

The Poison Scorpion and the Sun Arcobaleno took seats at the dining room table with new cups of tea.

Bianchi started to speak first. "So… the prince of a far-off country. This is unusual for you, Reborn."

Reborn took a sip of the still-hot tea, watching the steam rise in elegant streams. "It was unexpected. He was supposed to be a below-average middle-school student, from what his father's information told me. As you can see, he was very wrong." Here he smirked.

Bianchi blinked in surprise. "His own father didn't know something like this? Who is he?" _What idiot doesn't even know what is happening within their own family, especially something so big?_

"Iemitsu Sawada, the CEDEF leader," Reborn revealed.

* * *

"Are you okay, my prince? You look very tired. Please, take a seat!" Gokudera motioned to the couch again, stubbornly adamant in making Tsuna sit down.

Finally tiring of the argument, Tsuna gave in, but forced the other teen to do the same. Then he recalled what he called him. "Ah, Gokudera-kun, you can't call me that. I'm currently undercover."

Gokudera sat up straighter, more alert than he was a second ago. "Why? Are you in trouble? Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

Tsuna immediately dissuaded the notion. "No, no. It's not like that. The previous king, my grandfather, disagreed with my decision in taking up the Vongola Decimo title, so I had to leave."

"He disowned you?" Gokudera asked, shocked at the information.

Tsuna hurriedly corrected himself. "No! He actually tried to trap me in the castle to make sure I wouldn't disappear, but I got out anyway. I left of my own choice so that I could become the Vongola boss and change the mafia. Reborn told me that the original goal of the famiglia was to protect the innocent, and I want to restore it as it originally was."

Gokudera calmed at that. "That is a noble goal, but it will be difficult. The Vongola famiglia is a true mafia group, not the vigilantes that it once was. It won't be as easy as you make it sound."

Tsuna dragged a hand through his ruffled hair, sweeping some out of his face. He replied with resolution in his voice, "I know it will be a long journey, but I want to make it. I will take this path. You won't stop me, will you?"

"I wasn't trying to discourage you. Actually, I would be honored if you allowed me to undertake this task with you. Please let me help you, my prince." Gokudera bowed, again with an awkward stance because he was still seated.

"Thank you very much, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna smiled vibrantly. "But you still can't call me that."

* * *

Gokudera and Tsuna settled for Tsuna-sama. Gokudera wouldn't accept a more familiar honorific and it was the only address that had Tsuna's first name in it that he would. It was better than –ouji and –denka, anyways.

* * *

It was nearing nighttime and they needed to start making dinner or they would have to go out to eat again. Tsuna decided now would be a good time to start learning.

"Can either of you help me cook?" Tsuna asked the two siblings.

"You can't ask my sister. She has the moniker Poison Scorpion for a reason."

"In that case, will you help me, Gokudera-kun?"

"Of course, Tsuna-sama."

Both of them entered the kitchen to start making dinner. Tsuna knew it wouldn't end up perfect, but he hoped not to mess it up too much.

Bianchi scoffed softly and intoned, "I wouldn't be so eager to invite him into the kitchen. I might be the Poison Scorpion, but he's the Smoking Bomb."

Reborn looked at Bianchi from the corner of his eyes. He still faced the kitchen doorway that Gokudera and Tsuna disappeared through. "So you mean…"

Bianchi nodded and continued, "I have my poison cooking, and Hayato has—"

_Fwoosh._

The kitchen caught fire. Gokudera was pushed out of the kitchen and Tsuna frantically tried to put out the eggs, which had an unnaturally large fire feeding on it.

"—dynamite cooking."

Bianchi walked to her brother and patted his shoulder. "See, Hayato? What did I tell you? You have no talents in the kitchen."

"I don't want to hear that from you," the Storm Guardian gritted out, depressed and disappointed at not being able to help the prince in doing such a menial job.

* * *

Dinner ended up being decent, despite it being Tsuna's first attempts at cooking a meal.

Gokudera was exuberant and heavy with praise. "This was made so well, Tsuna-sama!"

"Not bad," Bianchi gave.

Of course, Reborn was not one to hand out compliments so easily. "I expect it to be twice as better next time, Tsuna."

* * *

Bianchi and Gokudera each took one of the three guest rooms available. Gokudera had wanted to room with Tsuna to keep a better watch on him and provide better protection, but Tsuna turned him down. If there ever was a security problem, Reborn was right there. Anyways, there really was no space in his room other than the closet, but no one was insane enough to sleep there. (Gokudera tried; Tsuna pushed him out.)

* * *

The next day was spent getting ready for school. Another packet of forms was retrieved for Gokudera and the both of them went into the shopping district to buy supplies. While there, Tsuna went into the bookstore to buy some recipe books. His mother had taken all her favorites when they went to Merith, and the ones left over were a bit odd. Really, what was a Broccoli Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo? He never recalled his mother making something like that. It distinctly didn't seem even remotely Japanese.

Overall, their shopping amounted to four bags' worth of items bought with money from Tsuna's Vin Jameson account. Feeling guilty for having the prince pay for him, Gokudera offered to carry all of the bags, but Tsuna insisted it was fine and took a bag (Gokudera wouldn't let him carry two).

On the way home, they took a different path out from the shopping district than the way they came in. Although it had been seven years since Tsuna was in Namimori, he still hadn't forgotten his hometown's structure, so they didn't get lost, but while they were slowly making their way toward home, he picked out an out-of-place building he couldn't quite recall from his memories. Was it always there? It wasn't built recently; it seemed very old, what with some discolored roof tiles and faded wood. Maybe his memories weren't as good as he thought and he's simply forgotten about it.

Out of curiosity, Tsuna meandered toward it, and Gokudera followed when he noticed his boss straying from the path home. Urahara Shoten, the sign announced. The building was small, a traditional Japanese building with two floors and a beat-up van next to it. The lot in front was fairly spacious but barren.

The prince and the Storm Guardian walked the rest of the way into the shop, sliding the doors open and peering in. There were a few stands of candy lining the room and creating short aisles. Despite the building looking quite void and abandoned, the candy looked new and fresh. Tsuna approached a large jar on one of the stands near the back. The candy inside was spherical and green.

Tsuna jolted when a voice suddenly called out, "Oh? Are you interested in those? I do believe they won't fit your tastes, at least not yet."

Tsuna turned around quickly, Gokudera behind him already prepared to defend him with a handful of dynamites and hurriedly stepping in front.

There was a man. A tall blond man wearing predominantly green clothes, a green-and-white striped bucket hat, and geta was in the doorway of the backroom while eating a large pink swirled lollipop. He grinned at them. "There's no use for weapons in here, so you may as well put them away."

Gokudera growled. "And how do we know you're not a threat? I didn't hear you coming at all."

The odd man laughed. "How could a tall, sexy shopkeeper like me possibly be a danger to you kids? I just run this not-shady-at-all candy shop in an area devoid of people. Besides, it's not my fault you were so entranced by my collection of candy. Blaming little old me for your inattentiveness, are you?"

Gokudera barked, "What was that?!" He lit his ready dynamite and prepared to throw.

Tsuna's alarms were ringing of impending danger. He reached over and put out the wicks with his fingers. "We're sorry for intruding. We'll be going now." And with that, Tsuna pushed his Guardian out the door before he could start another argument.

The shop was silent once more like it had been for years. The man covered his mouth with his white folding fan and tipped his head forward so that his hat would shadow his eyes. "I have a feeling we'll be meeting again soon, little prince."

* * *

Outside, the prince was struggling to hold back his Guardian from reentering the shop. "Please let me go, Tsuna-sama. I need to teach him a lesson!"

Tsuna refused to let him go. "That's not a good idea, Gokudera-kun. He's not as he seems. He's much stronger than what he looks, more than what either of us can handle. Please, let's go home. Okay?"

Gokudera stopped trying to pull forward and calmed. "If that's what you want, my prince."

Relieved that his Guardian had given up the fight, Tsuna let go of his shirt. As he straightened out his clothes, he sighed, "Ah, I told you that you can't call me that. Not outside."

"I'm so sorry, my pri—Tsuna-sama," Gokudera hastily corrected.

Tsuna stretched and picked up his bag that he had laid down on the floor. "Well, come on. I need to start lunch soon." He spun to face the street again and started the trek back. Gokudera grabbed his three bags and followed, but not before glaring at the suspicious shop.

* * *

"We're back," Tsuna called into the house.

Reborn leapt down from… somewhere and landed on Tsuna's shoulder. He smacked the fluffy brown hair with an ornamental fan. "You're late. Hurry up and make lunch."

"You could've made something yourself if you were really that hungry," Tsuna replied, but he put down the bag and fished out the new recipe books to prepare lunch while Reborn jumped onto Gokudera's shoulder. Tsuna then disappeared into the kitchen a moment later. "I'll be done in maybe half an hour, okay? Gokudera-kun, please unpack the items."

"Yes, my prince!" the silver-haired boy replied promptly. He took all four bags in his arms and shot upstairs to prepare their schoolbags and put away the surplus.

"Report," Reborn demanded when Gokudera reached his room.

Gokudera paused in taking out the bags' contents to address Reborn. "Yes, Reborn-san. Nothing went wrong when we were in the shopping district, but as we left and headed home, Tsuna-sama got a little weird and went into a suspicious shop. Inside was a sketchy shopkeeper."

"Oh? How so?"

"He wore mostly Japanese traditional clothes with a striped bucket hat. He insisted he was not dangerous, but I didn't hear him walk and didn't even know he was there until he talked." Gokudera scoffed and resumed preparation for school. "Tsuna-sama said he was dangerous, too, and he wouldn't let me fight him."

"It's good that you didn't."

Gokudera stiffened from the serious tone easily discernible in Reborn's voice. "Reborn-san?" The stony expression on the baby hitman's face froze any other utterances.

"If he is who I think he is, it's better if you never met him at all."

* * *

Tsuna, Gokudera, and Bianchi went to Nami Chuu to finalize the registration process (for Tsuna), complete the forms and submit them (for Gokudera), and start school. The school year had already begun in April; it was mid-May now.

Bianchi led the way to the office, Tsuna and Gokudera trailing behind her with a small bit of distance between. The office assistant raised her head at the sound of the door opening. With a false smile, she greeted, "Hello, welcome to Nami Chuu."

"Hey." Bianchi approached the desk and slapped down two thick packets of paper. "I'm here to register these two kids for the first year."

The lady maintained her plastic smile. "Okay, then. The principal's office is right over there. These are the rules of conduct. Please follow them." She heaved up two heavy, unwieldy books and let them slam onto the counter. The covers of the books were black and plain, with the words "Nami Chuu Rules", and under that was "Follow them or I'll bite you to death". Two tonfas, one crossed over the other, were the only other things that adorned the covers.

Tsuna looked dubiously at the book that was pushed toward him. _Who is "I"? Is that even legal?_

Gokudera, the ever-helpful Guardian that he was, picked up Tsuna's copy of the book, which Tsuna really did not want to lug around all day. He doubted Bianchi would take it home for him; the only requests she was bound to follow were from Reborn, and Tsuna only recently met her, not enough time to form a close bond. "Let's go, Tsuna-sama."

"Right."

* * *

The rest of the registration process went simply and smoothly. The principal made introductions, entered their information into the database, and gave them their schedules (his secretary was sick that day). He flagged down a student with a pompadour to lead them to their class. Bianchi left as soon as that was done.

Tsuna and Gokudera had mostly the same schedule. The only difference was that Tsuna was taking a culinary class and Gokudera was taking music. Gokudera had wanted to take the culinary class with Tsuna, but Tsuna strongly recommended against it.

* * *

The school day had already started. The oddly-dressed student silently led the two to their shared class, science. He knocked on the doorframe and slid the door open. It caught the attention of the room's occupants.

The teacher at the chalkboard started yelling, "Who is interrupting my teachi—?!" One look at the people at the door stopped him. His tone immediately became more respectful. "Disciplinary-san, is there anything wrong?"

"New students," he succinctly replied. He handed the teacher two sheets of paper with basic information about them.

The teacher quickly scanned through the words. "Alright. Thank you, Disciplinary-san."

The black-clad student nodded and left the room, leaving Tsuna and Gokudera standing at the front.

"Welcome to Nami Chuu. I am the greatly esteemed Nezu Dohachiro. You shall address me as Nezu-sensei. You may introduce yourselves to the class."

Tsuna and Gokudera wrote their names on the board with the pieces of chalk they were handed. Tsuna bowed politely to the class. "Hello. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. Please take care of me."

Gokudera was not as pleasant in his introductions. "Tch. Don't bother me."

Unsurprisingly, their new classmates talked about Gokudera more. Tsuna faded into the background when next to the silver-haired Italian. Tsuna was not fully Japanese either, but his foreign blood was much less obvious.

"It's a hot foreigner." Definitely a girl.

"A total bad-boy type." And another.

"Heh. He's not so cool." Obviously a guy.

"They look interesting." Oh? A guy actually took notice of Tsuna's existence. The person in question had a cheery atmosphere, but under that Tsuna could perceive a deep sadness and loneliness. The smile was fake, a mask.

"Sawada-kun, you sit over there. Gokudera-kun, over there." Tsuna snapped out of his contemplations and the duo took their seats. Class resumed, excitement about transfer students dying down eventually.

* * *

After science was lunch. Tsuna had made them both bentos, not fancy but decent. Before any girls could approach them, Gokudera led Tsuna out of the class to eat elsewhere. They ended up in the courtyard under a still-blooming sakura tree off to the side. Lunch passed peacefully and undisturbed.

* * *

The next class was practical arts. Tsuna went to the culinary room and Gokudera went to the music room, albeit reluctant to be separated from his boss. Tsuna was introduced again and partnered with a girl he remembered was in his science class, although he didn't get her name then. That was quickly remedied.

"Hi, Tsunayoshi-kun. I am Sasagawa Kyoko. Nice to meet you and welcome to Nami Chuu," she politely said.

Tsuna smiled back at her. "Nice to meet you too, Kyoko-chan."

The pair worked quickly and efficiently, finishing their project before any others. Tsuna gained more confidence with the utensils and his actions. They got full marks and bonus points for completing the assignment so swiftly and perfectly.

The partnership proved to be very beneficial. Kyoko was a master in cooking, so Tsuna learned new kitchen skills from Kyoko and she gave him some easy recipes to try.

They enjoyed their macaroons while exchanging light conversation and watching the other students struggle with the cream.

* * *

Nana took a stroll through the countryside followed by her guards. She had taken care of all the work that needed to be done, and no one had attempted an attack on Merith, which was no surprise. Now she was spending her time relaxing and thinking about her son.

Tsu-kun was growing up into an admirable man. He was a bit small for his age but was very capable, unwilling to let obstacles stop him. She could depend on him if there ever was a need to. He would come to her aid if she asked.

Nana had run all of the diversions that were asked for. The records were altered to hide Tsu-kun's early history, but not enough to evoke suspicion from most people. It was not commonly known that she and her son originally lived in another country. The people thought they had been well-hidden within the castle and only recently made an appearance because of the death of the previous heir.

Nana's existence was known; Tsuna's had been unexpected. They hadn't been aware of a seven-year old prince living within the castle; his birth was never announced. Regardless, they accepted him, although they still didn't know who his father was.

The district she was traversing was more rural than the others. Only a few houses dotted the land here and there. A clear, wide river wound across the fertile ground, licking at the roots of huge apple trees. The apples themselves were large, much larger than normal Merith apples, which dwarfed apples of other origins. One of these apples had to be carried in two hands because of their inordinately hefty size. The only reason they didn't smash open when they fell from the trees was the springy soft grass carpeting the entire glade. It was dangerous for people to walk under the trees during the ripening season, though, so they were advised to stay away. Death by falling apples was an odd way to die.

It was just past ripening season now. All the apples were plucked from the trees or retrieved from the grass, so the broad branches of the trees were bare, and the grass was not dotted with shiny red. Wait… that point right there. A patch of red stood out among the green grass. The harvesters must have missed one. Smiling, she made her way toward it.

The closer she got to the fallen apple, the more she felt it was not. When she finally reached it, she found a young boy, maybe the age of her Tsu-kun, dozing under the apple tree. The red blotch was an apple, but not a real one. It appeared to be a hat.

A young voice shook her out of her thoughts. "Has the fairy queen come to visit me? Oh, and with her legion of sprites, too." She looked down at the boy's face. His green eyes marked underneath with triangles (tattoos?) were now open and looking at her.

"Oh, hello there. I was wondering what you were doing out here," she responded. She completely ignored the way he referred to her.

The green-haired boy sprawled all over the grass and cushioned his head with his arms. "Mm, something told me that something interesting was going to happen today and to come here. My life is usually very boring, so I thought, 'Why not?' Everything is always so quiet and carefree here. No one even noticed when I drifted down the river into the ocean once. That was fun."

Nana was a little concerned about the boy's situation. "Who do you live with, child? Don't they take care of you?"

"My granny's the only one left, I think. She just stays inside the house all the time, though. She doesn't do anything. It's boring there, so I come out to play. Much more interesting."

Nana hummed in thought. So his grandmother was either too ill or uncaring to mind over this child. She couldn't have that. "Do you think it would be more fun to move away from here? I'll send someone to take care of your granny for you so you don't have to worry about her," Nana proposed.

The boy blinked bland eyes at her. "Really? And go where?"

"My son's having his own adventure right now. Would you like to go play with him?" Nana knew she could trust her son to do this, to care for this emotionally-dead child who she felt had an odd power unfamiliar to her. She didn't think it was a spirit's inheritance; it was something new. In that case, Tsuna and his new tutor could probably find out what it is and help him learn to control it. Uncontrolled power was dangerous for everyone.

The boy rolled to his feet, unencumbered by the bulky hat. "Sure. I'd like to go to the fairy prince."

She knelt and patted his head. "That's good to hear." Then she remembered she never introduced herself. She laughed lightly. "This is a bit late, but I am Nana la Alsveith."

The boy gave a tiny bow and replied, "My name is Fran."

* * *

Ciel was understandably frustrated. How many short, fluffy-haired teens with a baby could there have been in the area? For some reason, there were plenty reportedly matching the description. From Australia, they found thirteen different trails, each ending in a far-off country, each as plausible as the next, not including the possibility that the prince simply got back onto the same ship he arrived in. The first two trails met dead ends. Each took several weeks to reach and investigate, and there was not a single sign that indicated the prince's presence.

Ciel looked over the list of possibilities again. Eleven countries left before they would have to start over with the log from _8059_. This _Reborn_ was very skilled with deviating attention from the target.

The Underworld Prince anticipated their meeting. He always did appreciate a devious mind.

"Hey, Ciel, did you find him yet?" a brash voice rang out.

"No," Ciel hissed to the orange-haired guard. He was really getting on his nerves. Ichigo was loud and quick to enter a fight when he felt someone close to him was getting insulted, which wore away Ciel's patience with the frequent conflicts breaking out whenever they went into a city to ask around. Ichigo didn't even speak Spanish. How would he know if his family or friends were being insulted?

Maybe Ciel could just _accidentally_ leave him here in Chile?

* * *

I didn't want to do the typical "You saved me from my own bombs" scene. I guess I'll be keeping the name Merith. Dynamite cooking came from a demotivational poster. I don't know how many free rooms are in the house. I'm making it up. Wow. These sentences are very disconnected. Whatever. I changed Fran's age. Yay.

Can anyone explain to me what happened to Rasiel? Did Byakuran save him or raise him from the dead? What did he do for the ten years he pretended to be dead? Was it ever explained? I might be planning to use him later.

If it ended in a slash pairing, they could just have a surrogate, couldn't they? (I still won't write a child in at the end, no matter the answer.)

Posted: 1/18/15


	6. Chapter 6 (and Extra)

Chapter 6

School went thankfully normally for Tsuna. No one seemed to remember him from their early childhood. He figured that as long as he didn't stand out, he wouldn't have to worry about being targeted. That was easily done. He had an appearance that was cursorily overlooked, and being with Gokudera kept away the others. The Storm Guardian was startlingly protective of him, going so far as growling at anyone who appeared threatening—which was pretty much anyone that came within five feet. As Tsuna was constantly ignored and let alone, he let go of his previous apprehension regarding school.

A week passed by without any notable incidents.

* * *

At home, Reborn and Gokudera taught Tsuna about the history of the Vongola, its leaders, and his standing in it. As Tsuna already knew the school material, not much time was spent on homework, just a couple of minutes to do the unnecessary work. A day into the Vongola lessons, Reborn tried to shoot Tsuna with a Dying Will bullet to demonstrate the power of Flames (as if the streams of fire that were shot at him were not enough), but Tsuna evaded them with quick reflexes as soon as he saw Leon transform into a gun. He dodged even more fervently after learning the effects of the bullets.

He was a prince. Princes should not streak naked.

"Stand still so I can shoot you." Reborn shot two more bullets, both of which swerved away because of Tsuna's wind manipulation.

Tsuna ran behind the couch, which caught another bullet in place of Tsuna. It would need to be replaced; there were multiple holes and burn marks littered across its surface. "No way! I am _not_ going streaking, no matter what," Tsuna growled.

Reborn ran behind the couch and aimed. "You'd still have your boxers on." Another shot was fired. It missed like the previous twenty-four.

Tsuna skittered away and took refuge behind the kitchen door. "It's still public indecency!"

Several bullets more, and Reborn gave up his attempts in forcing Tsuna into the Dying Will Mode. It was the easiest way in learning how to control flames, but not the only way. Vongola Primo learned without any artificial aids. Besides, Tsuna already had experience in drawing out supernatural powers, like his spirit inheritance. Flames followed a similar process, using strong will and intent.

"Fine then. Be aware that the alternative method is much more difficult. It hasn't been used in centuries, so details about this path are a little hazy."

"It's better than running around naked and without full conscious thought."

And so started Tsuna's more difficult Flame training.

* * *

Reborn and Tsuna sat across from each other at the dining table while Reborn explained the process of natural Flame training and access. "Accessing Flames can be achieved by resonating with an item of strong attachment. Vongola Primo was a fist-fighter, and he bonded with his gloves, which were later upgraded to withstand his altered fighting style when he added Flames. What you're going to try to do is replicate that. Find an item you have a strong attachment to and push Flames into it."

Tsuna hummed in thought, considering which of his possessions that could be. "And how do I do that?"

"Since you won't be using the full capability of the Flames, it should be easier to generate even without a medium. The item should help unlock your Flames and call them when you need them, but eventually you should be able to use your Flames without its help. The Flame won't be able to do any damage, so even if the item you test is not what you're looking for, it won't be burned. I would imagine it is like summoning your wind. Will it to appear and direct it to the item you're testing."

"How long will this take? You make it sound like it will be a while before I will be able to use my Flames without help."

"That depends on your capabilities, and you should know that gaining control of powers takes a lot of practice. Didn't you go through this with your spirit inheritances? And even after you gain unguided access of your Flames, it would be a good idea to keep your item on you. It'll give you a boost in power and control."

Tsuna stood up. "Well, if that's all, I'll go look now." He pushed the chair in and left the table.

Reborn smirked. "He's still a child, so eager to play with fire. But fire is dangerous, and he needs to be careful, or else he'll burn."

* * *

Tsuna headed to his room immediately since that was where he kept all of his personal belongings. He sat on the bed and tried to summon the fire that Reborn told him about. Will a Flame to appear…

A tiny flickering orange Flame lit on the tip of his index finger. It quivered in the nonexistent breeze and gave off no heat. Tsuna broke his concentration from surprise, and the flickering Flame disappeared. Well, that was quite simple. Tsuna repeated the process, and the Flame sprang back to life. He smiled at the merrily dancing Flame for a few minutes before his objective came back into his mind, and he allowed the Flame to disperse again.

Tsuna scanned his room. It was barren of what most teens would have in their room. A simple bed, desk, and his bag were all that populated his room. Shrugging, Tsuna picked up the bag from the wall it was leaning against and walked back to his previous position on his bed.

Tsuna scattered the sparse contents of his bag across his bed. He hadn't brought many things from Merith in order to keep the load light, and he hadn't bought many items since arriving in Namimori either. Mechanically, he tested each of the items that came out of his bag—a few trinkets he picked up while he went shopping with Reborn, then from the trip with Gokudera… The gun that Reborn told him to keep close _just in case_ had no reaction. The iron claw gauntlet he bought on a whim (just because it looked cool) was also unaffected. The pocketknife's tip sparked a little, but the flash of fire flittered out of existence just as soon as it caught.

Then a thought struck him.

Tsuna dubiously looked at his phone lying innocently on the floor next to his bed. "Wait… it couldn't be…" He slid off the bed, crawled over, and plucked the phone from the floor. The keychain dangled from where it hung. The keychain was a reminder of optimism for him. It was a naive belief and goal, but he left Merith to change Vongola. It was a resolution he wanted to accomplish. In addition to that, it symbolized his relationship with Reborn, who promised to stay by his side and help him erase the bloody history of Vongola…

_It can't hurt to try, I guess._ He pushed a tiny bit of Flames out and observed the reaction of the keychain.

Nothing.

Tsuna was half-disappointed and half-relieved—disappointed because he still hadn't found his closest bonded item and relieved because then that meant he wouldn't be fighting with a keychain. He didn't know if a weapon choice could get any weirder than that.

The soul of Vongola Quarto shook irritably, feeling that his weapon was insulted.

He sighed and collapsed on his bed, then shot back up as something pointy jabbed his lower back. Ah, it was the crown.

He gave a considering look toward it. _Maybe…?_ He picked up the crown and let the spark of Flame touch the metal, and to his surprise its entire brim caught fire for half a second and shone enchantingly at him before the Flame flashed and died. Just to be sure, he sparked the Flame again. Same result.

Tsuna smiled happily. He finally found a suitable conductor for his Flames. He wouldn't have to burst naked in order to use them! Then a question shot through him.

How is a crown a weapon?

* * *

"Detached control over the battlefield," Reborn proposed.

"Huh?" Tsuna was confused. What did that have to do with their current conversation?

"That's how a king handles a war, isn't it?" the tiny tutor clarified. "Indirect fighting. A king tells the soldiers what to do."

Tsuna leaned back against his pillow propped up against the headboard. "Don't they have commanders?"

"The king employs those commanders."

"Huh… so how do I do this?"

"Figure the rest out yourself." And Reborn jumped out the window, leaving Tsuna to figure out the difficult parts on his own. Again.

"Of course…" Resigned, Tsuna also left his room, heading to the backyard to attempt to utilize the crown as a weapon. No way was he going to risk burning anything inside.

* * *

He had no idea what to do. Reborn only told him the bare basics and left him to struggle. "Find a solution for an impossible situation, right? Well then…"

For starters, he put the crown in place as normal. It's a crown, so he should wear it as a crown… but then what? Flames?

And just like that, the crown's brim flashed the brightly burning Flames. Again he was startled by the sudden fire, but this time the Flames did not waver and die. Huh. So he activated the Flames. Now control…?

Hesitantly, he raised his right arm and pointed his hand at a small rock several meters away. How was he supposed to direct Flames at it?

Again, the Flames bowed to his thoughts. A ball of energy coalesced in his palm and materialized in the form of an orange fire cat. The flickering feline yowled before lunging at the rock as if it were a formidable enemy. As soon as the cat touched the rock, it lost its form and burst in a spectacular display of flashes, sparks, and fire. When the smoke cleared, there was a small pit where the rock used to be.

Tsuna stood in silence for several minutes before he got over his surprise. "…Huh. That was surprisingly easy."

Tsuna continued to play with his newly discovered Flame animals for several hours, learning how to control them better and add more features.

* * *

When Tsuna retired back to his room for a short rest before making dinner, Reborn was waiting for him. Apparently, he had been watching part of his training from the window. Reborn stared into Tsuna's eyes with his own black, soul-piercing eyes. "Not bad. You made Flame soldiers."

"Flame animals," Tsuna corrected.

Reborn frowned at being interrupted. "You're using them as soldiers."

Here Tsuna became nervous. "Well…"

The hitman could guess what he had done. Tsuna's skittishness said it all. "You better not have materialized one as a pet."

Tsuna was suspiciously silent for too long. "...I didn't," he finally muttered, not looking into Reborn's eyes as he said so.

Reborn snorted. "You're a horrible liar."

Tsuna's new Flame lion purred as it walked out of Tsuna's closet—where he had hidden him—and jumped onto Tsuna's lap, nuzzling into a hand to be petted.

Reborn looked pointedly at the evidence.

"Uh…" Tsuna fumbled for an explanation, but found that there was no reasonable excuse. He sighed and decided not to hide. "His name is Natsu…"

* * *

The lion was really just a small cub, not even at the height of Reborn. Tsuna had accumulated enough experience in Flame animal creation that he was able to make him look more realistic, so most of the Flames that made up the lion's body were altered to make the tiny lion appear to be a very realistic cub, although Tsuna couldn't do anything about the fiery mane and the tuft of the tail.

Out of all of the animals that Tsuna created, he liked the lion the most. He didn't know why; he never gave much thought on lions before. Regardless, Tsuna decided he would keep the lion cub materialized as company, completely disregarding the possible damages that could abound. Tsuna figured that anything that was damaged could just be replaced; it wasn't as if Tsuna was tight on money.

After Tsuna solidified the lion's body to have fur and claws, he gave him a name—Natsu because the flames he radiated reminded him of soft summer warmth and as a reversal of his own name.

* * *

"Right. And how are you going to keep him alive? It's not a normal animal."

"Oh! Already figured that out—watch." Tsuna cupped his hands and brought forth a harmless Flame. He lowered the Flame to the tiny lion's level, and Natsu eagerly jumped up, landing his front paws on Tsuna's hands to steady himself. Natsu leaned forward and bit at the Flame, which oddly seemed to disappear with each bite. Soon enough, all of the Flame was gone, and the lion appeared sated and content. "When the easily-summoned Flames are fed to him, he is calm and playful. When I feed him the damaging Flames, he loses his docility and gets more aggressive."

Reborn thought over the new information for a minute and came to a decision. "If you can keep him under control, then he can stay in the house. If not, dispel him."

Tsuna's eyes shone brightly. "Okay!" He looked like a kid who got a new puppy.

How cute.

Not that Reborn said that out loud. Or in his mind. Actually, that sentiment never existed. Reborn does not think cute. Or so he says…

* * *

Tsuna happily made dinner, his increased skill in the kitchen shining through with more intricate dishes and complex tastes. He had already fed Natsu with harmless Flames, and the lion was currently asleep on Tsuna's bed.

Tsuna relayed his new findings about his Flames during dinner that day. Gokudera was expectedly impressed, and Bianchi seemed interested in seeing the Flame animals.

"There is a problem with your fighting mode, though," Reborn said.

Tsuna looked up from his bowl of rice. "How? I thought it worked fine. If I send Flame animals to fight, then I won't get hurt since I'll be afar."

"Wrong. Right now you have only long-range attacks, which is troubling if you ever meet an opponent with higher speed. The enemy will be able to dodge all of your soldiers and attack you. And since you don't have any close-range attacks or defense, you would be dead."

"I can be your defense, my prince!" Gokudera offered.

"No. Your attacks are too volatile to be a defense, and would likely not mix well with the flame animals. The dynamite could explode prematurely if Tsuna's flames hastened the wick," the hitman rejected.

Gokudera sulked. Bianchi patted his shoulder comfortingly and offered poison-flavored ice cream (though it was really poisoned, too) to Gokudera. He refused immediately.

Tsuna asked, "Then what do I do? I could post some animals for defense, but I haven't had any training in close-range combat. Grandfather never set up lessons for me and you haven't either."

Reborn smirked. "We'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

Tsuna started martial arts training the next day, and Reborn called in a friend to help, although he would take a short while to get there. Since Tsuna's body was still soft from castle life, he needed an extensive amount of conditioning, which included runs around the city and weight-training using Leon.

* * *

"Here." After dinner and going back to the bedroom, Reborn threw a thick folded piece of cloth at Tsuna, who caught it deftly with one hand.

"What is this for?" he asked. It didn't seem to be anything special, just a large square of cloth. He placed it on the bed and finished pulling on his pajamas.

"It's Flame-resistant cloth."

"Why do I need it?"

"If you ran around the battlefield wearing a real crown, don't you think someone would link you to Merith? Not many countries still have a reigning monarch now. You'll have to cover it up. Your other hoods would disintegrate if you tried to wear it over the burning crown, so you need to make one out of that."

"Right…" Tsuna looked at the cloth dubiously. "So you want me to make a hood out of this… and I don't know how to sew."

"Go learn how or find someone else to do it," Reborn replied, blasé.

Tsuna picked up the cloth and ran his fingers over it. It was thick and heavy, but surprisingly soft. "Can't you do it?" he asked.

"Do I look like a tailor to you?" the hitman retorted.

"Well you could dress like one—" Reborn shot his gun. Tsuna stopped that line of thought and picked up another. "Why couldn't Leon just make one?"

Leon shifted back to his chameleon form and nestled on Reborn's arm. The tutor-hitman stroked the little green reptile appreciatively. "Idiot. It's already difficult and taxing to make Flame-resistant cloth. Refining it would take more energy and extenuating circumstances, and from what I see, your life is not going to be in danger anytime soon."

Tsuna flumped onto the bed with the cloth in hand. "Okay… Then I need to go into the shopping district again and find a tailor."

* * *

The next morning, Gokudera escorted Tsuna into the shopping district, making sure to avoid the area with the suspicious candy shopkeeper. They scoured the district for a custom clothes maker, but all they could find were shops with premade clothes. Not a single tailoring service existed.

The duo went into a cake shop to take a break before they planned to take the rail to the next town over and restart their search. The displays were stocked neatly with finely decorated cakes, each as appealing as the next. Tsuna selected a slice of chocolate rose cake and Gokudera a slice of raspberry cake. They settled into a booth with the delicate desserts and began to eat, though Tsuna took a picture of them first.

A few minutes into eating them, a girl approached their table. "Wow! That cake looks delicious. Which one is it?" she asked as she pointed to Gokudera's cake.

"Don't bother me, woman. Go away," the bomber hissed. Gokudera was not so happy that someone interrupted his time with the prince.

"Gokudera-kun, please be courteous," Tsuna gently reprimanded. "It's a raspberry cake. We're sorry. I think he's a little irritated because we couldn't find what we were looking for."

All thoughts about the cake and the rude boy were quelled by the kind apology and banished from her head as curiosity took their place. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Well, I need a tailor to make something for me, but there's none here. We're going to look in the next town, but that's going to make us take more time than I thought we would need." Tsuna rummaged in his bag and pulled out the Flame-resistant cloth. "See this? I need it to be made into a hood."

The girl's eyes got bright as she caught sight of the odd cloth. "What material is that? I don't think I've ever seen it before."

Tsuna flailed for an answer. He couldn't just say it was a special cloth that came from a shape-shifting chameleon, could he? He settled for a vague reply. "It's a rare material that is hard to produce."

"Huh… Would you mind if I made the hood for you? I'd like to try handling that cloth. I know how to sew because I'm a costumer for plays."

"Really? At such a young age?"

"I host kids' plays when I'm able to. I make all of the costumes on my own, so I have a lot of experience with sewing."

"Well, if you think you can do it, why not?"

* * *

The girl's name was Miura Haru. She lived outside of Namimori, but close enough to attend the prestigious all-girls school called Midori Middle. She was quite friendly with Tsuna, animatedly relaying her plays to him which completely ignoring the grouchy silver-haired teen that followed behind them. She still didn't like him for his initial words. First impressions leave a mark, after all.

She followed them home, and since it was a weekend, there was no schoolwork to deal with first. She excitedly prepared the sewing kit that Tsuna bought on her recommendation and got to work with designing. She looked at the hoods that Tsuna showed her to base the design on. They were wide-brimmed and simple, although that one had soft feathers lining the edge.

Just a hood is too plain, right? Maybe a full body cloak. That would be more dramatic…

* * *

Several hours later, Haru presented her work to Tsuna. The end result was a hooded cloak that reached his ankles with gold embroidery threading a curling design along the hems. The intricate add-on gave Reborn an idea. The tiny tutor approached the girl smiling proudly. "Hey. Can you add this onto the back?"

"Huh?" She snapped out of her self-praise and looked at the piece of paper being held out by what seemed to be a short businessman. A _very_ short businessman. The paper had what seemed to be a family crest drawn onto it. No one really had those anymore. Maybe Tsuna was of old blood?

Haru took the paper and nodded. "I can do that. It'll take me longer since it's so detailed, though."

"That's fine."

Tsuna protested. "Reborn, she just worked for a long time. Don't make her feel obligated to do more. I think she needs a break at least."

Haru shook her head. "Oh, that's fine, Tsuna-san. I can do this. It's actually quite fun. But I would appreciate a snack." She never got to buy a cake at the shop because they wanted to start on the hood and went straight to Tsuna's house after buying the supplies.

Tsuna smiled. "In that case, leave those there and we can go fix something up." He motioned for her to follow him.

* * *

In the kitchen, Tsuna and Haru prepared light snacks and swapped recipes and techniques. Apparently, Haru was good at cooking as well. She promised to come over and teach Tsuna more when she could.

* * *

"…And finished… again!" The cloak now had the Vongola crest stitched onto the back in shimmering gold thread.

"Wow, Haru, it looks amazing. Thanks again," Tsuna said while marveling over the ornate black cloak. It reminded him of the formal white garments he wore as a prince, though the color ranges were completely different.

"You're welcome, Tsuna-san. It was my pleasure," Haru replied. Then she caught sight of the clock and realized the time. "I should probably leave now; it's going to get late. I'll see you sometime soon!" With a wave of farewell, Haru left the house.

"She could be useful later. You should hire her as a personal seamstress," Reborn suggested.

"Reborn, she's a civilian. I don't want to taint her with the dangers of the mafia when I still haven't changed the Vongola. Besides, I don't know if that'll even be her occupation."

"It's still an idea you should keep in your mind. She's skilled with a needle."

"She is," Tsuna admitted.

* * *

Disproportionate statistics! How fun.

No one has a problem with my story's direction? I have been given no suggestions, so my plot sketch has gotten a bit… questionable. I feel like I'm cramming a lot of plots together.

Thanks to Jucca for pointing out the episode of the twins' history and Natsu Yuuki for answering.

It takes me hours to write one chapter. I prefer reading.

* * *

This **extra piece** is dedicated to Heart of Fire and Ice.

**Extra chapter: History between Ichigo and Tsuna**

It was supposed to be a normal grocery run. Ichigo and his mother went out to buy food for their growing family, but on the trip back they met trouble. They were taking their regular path home when a couple of drunken men neared them. The street was oddly empty, although that might have been because night was approaching.

One of the men stumbled as he came closer. "Ho? What do we have here? Hey lady, would you be willing to donate a little bit of money for a poor old man?" He waved a switchblade in his hand and leered at Masaki, who gathered her son into her trembling arms.

"No. I think we'll be going home now. You can have some food if you'd like." She proffered one of the grocery bags to him.

The man snarled and roughly snatched Ichigo out of her loosened grasp. She screamed in fright for her son. "Listen. If you don't give us money, we're taking it out on your son."

"Hey, aren't you taking this a bit far?" one of the other drunks slurred.

"Shut up. You need money too, don't you?"

"Please, I only brought enough money for the groceries. Give my son back!"

"Is that a no? Well…" The blade swung down, aimed at Ichigo's arm.

"Ichigo!"

There was a flash of silver, a pained gasp, and a splash of red on his cheek. He swept a hand over the wet spot and looked at the smudge of blood that was transferred onto his palm. Blood. Blood. Blood. Mother? "Kaa-san?" His mother had run forward and covered her son with her body. The blade was embedded in her back. A river of red flooded down from the open wound. "Kaa-san!"

Ichigo's shout shocked the drunken man out of his daze. "T-that—you shouldn't have done that!" the man shrieked. He was only going to cut the boy's arm a little to show blood. No one was supposed to be grievously wounded.

"H-hey!" The intoxicated man fled stumblingly, and his friends followed as fast as they could.

Masaki collapsed to the concrete, blood pouring out at an alarming rate. "Ichigo…" She raised a pale hand to her son's cheek, a final gesture of love before her body gave out.

He was just eight years old when he watched his mother die from blood loss.

* * *

After the funeral for Masaki was over, Isshin took his three children to his original country. It was much safer there. Merith had low crime rates from the beginning because the spirits were strict in admittance of people. Anyone they disapproved of was deported by the orders of the king, who heeded their words.

Isshin reclaimed his former post as head of security, and no one argued against it. They all knew of his loyalty and strength. Isshin was not weakened at all by his civilian life; he kept his strength up even then.

In addition to his natural power, he had a spirit partner. Engetsu was a Dark Lunar Wolf that bonded to him during his youth, and he was quite happy to reestablish their spiritual link. Engetsu enabled Isshin to use a degree of his own power, which was a destructive wave of pure energy. When linked, his speed was given a large boost and his physical strength multiplied.

A few years passed by peacefully, with Ichigo and his sisters integrating into Merithian life easily. They were given quarters in the castle because of their father's station and were provided with tutors of their own.

In that time, he made a strong resolve to protect. He grew bigger and stronger. From the time he was traumatized, he trained on his own with what he could. He wanted to get stronger to protect his family from any harm that may come their way.

His father watched him with a sad and resigned expression. It seemed his son wouldn't be entering an occupation like doctor as he originally thought. Ichigo's mother's death was a large turning point in his life.

* * *

When Ichigo was ten, Isshin took his children on a picnic in a forest far from human inhabitation.

While the twins chased butterflies and played ball in the flower field within the forest, Isshin watched his son a little ways away. Ichigo sat within the woods on his own, but not for long. The young boy was approached by a Dark Lunar Wolf with a shoulder height higher than he was tall.

Isshin deliberately chose this forest to picnic in. It was where he found his own spirit partner.

The wolf, Zangetsu, coincidentally Engetsu's son, spent the next several hours lazing with Ichigo, curled together in gentle spring light. Unsurprisingly, they made a bond by the end of the day.

Isshin started training his son for combat soon after that.

* * *

A year after linking with Zangetsu, he was introduced to the little prince, who had just come from a different country. He was betting on Japan since that was the only language he seemed to know. The small boy was shy, peeking at him from behind the regent queen.

Boldly, he walked from his father's side to him. "My name is Ichigo. Nice to meet you." He gave the timid boy a smile, which seemed to melt the prince's hesitance away.

"M-my name is Tsuna," the prince replied. The adults watched the children interact, relieved that Tsuna was letting down his barriers and talking with another child. Nana was initially apprehensive because in Japan, he was often ignored or even abused by the other kids. It seemed she would not have to worry about that here, at least not with Ichigo.

Over the next few weeks, Tsuna completely let go of his barriers and joyfully played with Ichigo outside of his lesson times. Ichigo regarded him as a younger brother, fondly praising him when he did well on his lessons and indulging him with piggy-back rides.

* * *

Ichigo was fifteen when he was appointed to be his guard by his father. He did not protest. It allowed him to keep a closer eye on Tsuna.

Tsuna started to skive off some of his lessons around then. The districts were much more interesting, and the people were friendly enough to talk to. They were aware that Tsuna was escaping for a short amount of time and indulged his play. The stall keepers liked when the prince came to talk to them and asked about their problems. Usually, any complaints given were fixed within a week. They thanked him by giving him the best fruits they had on stock when he came by. During one of the trips, Tsuna found a family that was struggling to pull in enough income. Every time after that, Tsuna pulled out some of his allowance and gave it to the family when he could. He also passed the fruits he was given to them.

Ichigo was aware of all this. He allowed Tsuna to make his runs and apprehended him when he finished, when he felt there was danger, or when there was something to be done at the castle. Of course, when Tsuna snuck out too much, he curbed the trips then too. The escapades became something of a game then. Tsuna improved his hiding skills and Ichigo worked on detection.

That Vongola delegate broke that cycle. He lured Tsuna from a safe home and was trying to get him involved in organized crime. The mafia? No. Tsuna was too soft for that kind of life. Ichigo would bring his little brother back safely.

Posted: 1/25/15


	7. Chapter 7

Tsuna continued to hone his Flames, although it was difficult with the limited space of his yard, and he had to make sure no one saw them—quite difficult considering the flashes of light and loud booms of explosions.

Reborn watched his progress carefully. The little prince was doing quite well, all things considered.

Natsu was also training, coordinating his attacks with Tsuna's. In each training session, Tsuna fed the lion a little of his attack Flames, which made the cub jump into a somewhat larger form, then reaching Tsuna's waist. Natsu's attacks were much more powerful than the incorporeal animals that Tsuna created as base attacks. Reborn wondered what would happen if Tsuna fed Natsu more attack Flames than he currently did. When the damage Flames ran out, Natsu would shrink back into his cub form, tired and spent. Tsuna would then give Natsu some harmless flames, and the lion would jump back to his paws, ready to play.

There were still plenty of holes in his defense, but Tsuna was starting to train his Flames to make sentinel leopards. They were large enough to cover Tsuna when it was needed but lithe enough not to get in the way of launching attacks.

His martial arts tutor should be arriving soon. Speaking of whom, he had his own student already. She'd be coming as well, from what he'd said to Reborn.

* * *

Tsuna and Kyoko paired up during cooking class every day. She continued to teach him new techniques while completing each project, which they were always the first to finish. Tsuna had a very good grade in that class—not that he was bad in any others. He got high test scores since the lessons were just review to him, but Gokudera always placed first. Tsuna missed a couple of questions, and the Storm Guardian never missed any. It may have been review, but Tsuna couldn't remember all of the minute details.

As the two ate their angel cake, they watched one group still preparing the batter, and winced when their blender splashed the mix all over the lagging students. The splattered students were sent to the office for a change of clothes. They'd be getting zeroes for the day. Well, they wouldn't have finished in time anyways.

Tsuna's eyes roamed to another group, this one having the batter in the oven and making the frosting. He could tell that they would have an incomplete or botched product, though—they forgot to sift the flour. He could tell because at the corner of their station, the sifter lay untouched.

"Tsuna-kun," a gentle voice broke through his mind's wandering thoughts.

Tsuna turned his attention back to Kyoko and put down his emptied plate, which had only crumbs remaining. "Yes, Kyoko-chan?"

The girl hesitated for a slight moment before forging on. "I was thinking of making something new at home, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do it. It's a long and complicated recipe. The timing is very specific, so I wanted someone to help me with it. Would you be willing to help?"

"Sure. When did you want to do it?"

Kyoko brightened and said, "I have all of the ingredients ready at home right now. Can you come over tomorrow after school?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yes. I'll need to make some preparations first, though." He'd need to tell Reborn and Gokudera so they wouldn't come looking for him when he failed to arrive home at the normal time.

* * *

"I've made some plans for tomorrow, so I won't be coming home right away after school," he told Reborn later that afternoon.

Reborn looked up from petting Leon. "Don't start slacking off. Remember, school life is just a front. You came here to train to be the heir of a mafia syndicate, not to socialize."

"I know, but it can't hurt to take a break once in a while. Straining myself would set me back."

"Hn."

"Where are you going?" Bianchi asked as she put down tea, which was surprisingly _not_ poisoned.

_Is it just the food that becomes poison or can she control it?_ Tsuna wondered. "I'm helping Kyoko-chan cook at her house. She wants to try a new recipe," he replied.

Bianchi's eyes lit up. "Oh, your girlfriend? The power of love—"

Tsuna waved his hands in a negative motion. "Ah, no. She's not my girlfriend. She's my partner during cooking class and she teaches me more cooking techniques and recipes."

Her eyes dimmed. "So just a close friend?"

He nodded.

"Love between friends is good, but lovers are much better. You won't understand until you have your own." Here she looked at Reborn, which was mildly disturbing considering Reborn's seemingly appearance as a two-year-old. "You should find your soul mate as soon as possible. Then you can spend more time with them."

Tsuna nervously laughed. It was an uncomfortable talk for him, like the birds and the bees discussion his grandfather had given him. His mother had been absent for some reason… "I'm just thirteen years old. Aren't I a bit too young to be thinking of things like this?"

Vivid red fire lit Bianchi's eyes. _A Storm type?_ Tsuna idly considered. _Just like her brother._

She passionately declared. "You are never too young for love!" She looked towards Reborn again, who still disregarded her attempts of persuasion. Tsuna felt a little bad for her. It seemed Reborn had lost all interest in her from the time she had been his lover to now.

* * *

The next day, Tsuna and Kyoko sped around the kitchen, following the recipe to the letter.

"At seven minutes, remove that from the oven and put it immediately into the fridge," Kyoko instructed.

Tsuna picked up the pot and walked to the counter with containers of all types stacked on it. "What should I put it in?"

Kyoko looked over the miscellaneous containers strewn everywhere and pointed at a medium sized bowl with spotted decorations. "That bowl over there should be fine."

As Tsuna reached over to grab the bowl, the kitchen door burst open, nearly startling him into pushing the ceramic piece over the counter. "Are you doing some extreme cooking, Kyoko?" the silver-haired teen shouted out. "Who's that?" He continued yelling in deafening decibels.

"Hello, Onii-san. Tsuna is a classmate. He's helping me make something," the girl sweetly replied. As soon as she started talking, her brother quieted down.

"Is that so? Whatever it is smells extremely good!" he roared somewhat more quietly, though not by much.

"Thank you, Onii-san. It's still going to be a while before we're finished, but it's going well so far."

"EXTREMELY GOOD LUCK TO YOU!" And with that, the hyper boy shot out the door again.

"That was your brother?" Tsuna was surprised. He was nothing like sweet, gentle Kyoko. They were nearly genetic opposites.

"Un. His name is Ryohei. He's very enthusiastic, most especially in boxing."

"Would he by any chance be the captain of the boxing club?" Tsuna remembered Reborn mentioning something about the captain at some point, something about loudness, liveliness, and… the sun?

Kyoko nodded as he turned off one of the stove's fire. "Yes, but he has problems with recruiting. There are so few members compared to the other clubs."

They continued to discuss as they cooked, skillfully completing each step on the recipe. The end result was pleasing; it ended up just as the recipe said it would. Kyoko and Tsuna worked very well together. They finished cleaning up the expended kitchen just after six, and Tsuna was given a sizeable portion to take with him.

* * *

"I'm home," Tsuna called out. He slipped off his shoes and toed them into the corner in a neat pair. He walked through the genkan and padded into the kitchen. It was a bit late to start dinner, but if he used simple recipes, he should finish on time. From one kitchen into another… Tsuna sighed.

_It's not really all that bad. It's actually enjoyable since it's not stressful, and it's not particularly difficult either_, Tsuna considered. As he pulled out some pots to set up water, he heard the sound of thundering footsteps rapidly descending the stairs. Just a second later, the kitchen door was forcefully shoved open, and his Storm Guardian appeared, heaving out of breath in the doorway.

"Welcome back, Tsuna-sama! I'm sorry I wasn't able to greet you at the door. I was preparing more of my bombs," he panted out.

_Why did you come into the kitchen? Wouldn't a person be expected to go to their room after coming home?_ Tsuna wondered. _And why prepare bombs? It's not like we've entered any danger or are likely to. We haven't entered a single conflict yet, other than the close call with the shady shopkeeper._

He pushed the thoughts away, disregarding it as unimportant. "It's alright, Gokudera-kun. I don't expect that kind of behavior from you. Here, I am just a normal teenager, just like you, remember?"

"If that is what you wish," Gokudera acquiesced.

"And you know, it would be nice if you just called me Tsuna…" he suggested.

"No chance," the bomber immediately replied. "I cannot do that. It would be disrespectful."

Knowing that continuing the conversation in that direction would be pointless, Tsuna veered it into another, inquiring about his day. He listened to the silver-haired teen enthusiastically convey the details of his afternoon spent "punishing the offenders that besmirched Tsuna-sama's name" and "dissuading assassins from pursuing their mission of killing Tsuna-sama," although Tsuna didn't see how that was possible considering he had hidden himself in normality and obscurity so people would not know him, and from what Gokudera was saying, there was a lot of people that fit either or both of the categories.

_So this is why he needed to restock his bombs._ Tsuna grimly smiled. _Those poor people._

"You know, Gokudera-kun, it's not like I go out a lot here, and we haven't been here for long, so most people other than from school don't know me. Even the students generally have no clue who I am. People of Namimori are mostly peaceful and oblivious to nearly everything. They don't notice anything until it's shoved into their face. I've hidden myself well from outside eyes, so Merith and enemy countries shouldn't know I am here, at least not so soon," Tsuna said as he stirred the pot.

Gokudera nodded. "Of course, Tsuna-sama. I've heard you are skilled at evasion and Reborn-san is an expert hitman that covers his tracks well. It'll be a long while before anyone tracks you here or finds out who you are."

Tsuna patiently continued. "Now, following that logic, does it make sense to assume that the person who was smoking in an alleyway was an assassin waiting for me to walk by? All the way on the other side of Namimori?"

"He could have had associates spread out all over the city!" Gokudera defended. "And if one person is discovered, the rest leave because their cover is blown. It's better to be safe about it. Your life is very important, Tsuna-sama, not only to Merith, but to Vongola and to me as well."

"Alright," Tsuna conceded, "but could you at least make sure they are dangerous people before you attack them? I highly doubt that the perfume shop worker was trying to lace you with poison to carry back to me."

* * *

A little more cajoling, and Gokudera agreed to be more cautious in throwing around his dynamite. Tsuna was thankful for that. Aside from innocent people getting hurt, there were plentiful amounts of destruction left behind by careless explosions, which did not bode well for the city cleanup crew. Hopefully the rampant flow of not-at-all subtle burn marks all over the city would slow or cease altogether.

* * *

The next day was a weekend. Tsuna spent Saturday mornings sleeping for several hours more than usual, typical of most teenagers. Kyoko's brother was not a typical teenager, going by the copious shouts of "EXTREME!" shattering the morning peace periodically. Well, now he knew who it was that was always so loud in the morning… and afternoon… and evening. Huh. He was loud all the time.

Tsuna went back to sleep, covering his ears with his pillow and doing his best to mute out the deafening "EXTREME!"

* * *

"What is that noise?" a tiny baby robed in red asked. Of course he was not really a baby—he was an Arcobaleno. Reborn called him to help teach his student martial arts. Something about having pathetic physical ability, maybe. His own student, I-pin, walked next to him. His white monkey, Lichi, leapt in between them, excited at being in an unfamiliar country.

It had taken Fon a couple of weeks to straighten out his own affairs—taking a withdrawal from service for an indeterminate amount of time and letting his clients know in advance. No one protested, although it did leave behind a stir of excitement. A predetermined meeting between Arcobaleno was rare, and since Fon didn't say what it was for and there was a suggestion the meeting would take a while, curiosity concerning it was rampant. However no one dared to stick their noses in it. Business concerning Arcobaleno could get dangerous startlingly quickly, and it was better to leave such matters alone.

Currently, Fon and his student were in Namimori, seeking the house that Reborn was inhabiting for the time being. The repetitive shouts of "EXTREME!" had been going on for a while now, and it didn't seem it would stop anytime soon. Reborn actually tolerated these conditions? Fon thought he would be much less accepting of such a disruptive atmosphere. Then again, to live in the mafia, he had to have gotten used to randomness and spontaneity. But still, Reborn had such a short fuse… but _that _incident may have been because he hadn't had his morning coffees yet and it was an especially annoying _famiglia_ that barged into his area. Predictably, they were given no mercy, much less than usual.

Oh, the source of the shouts was getting closer, now roughly one block over. Maybe he could ask the guy for help? Strangely, the area was abnormally devoid of people. What Fon didn't know was that the inhabitants of Namimori knew Ryohei's running schedule and paths and purposely vacated the involved areas to avoid the rambunctious teen. It's not that they disliked the rambunctious teen; he was just hard to handle.

Fon could now see a figure speedily running towards him. A middle-school student with abnormal white hair. Why white? Bleach? But his thin eyebrows were white too. Stress? He looked to be very muscular, implying strenuous exercise, so that couldn't be it. Maybe it was natural. It wouldn't be the first time he saw a child with white hair, although it was rare.

Just as the white-haired teen was about to pass him, Fon called out, "Hey!"

"Huh?" The runner screeched to a stop and looked at the two children and the odd monkey standing on the road. They were very young and small, not even coming up to his knees. "Hello! My name is Ryohei! What did you call me for, little ones?"

"I am Fon, that is Lichi, and this is I-pin," he cordially introduced. "May I please ask you to help us to a location? It's our first time here and we don't have a map."

Ryohei wondered why the baby was speaking so formally, but then the question registered in his mind. "You need help getting somewhere? Sure! I've lived here all my life. Get on, little man! And girl!" he shouted.

The two children easily jumped several times their own height onto his shoulders. Once they were settled and secure, Ryohei roared, "EXTREME RUNNING!" Then he shot off the way he was going. Buildings and the occasional person flashed by as they sped down the road.

Fon wondered how Ryohei was going to get them to their destination when he hadn't even told them the address, but he couldn't shout over the wind caused by running buffeting him and Ryohei's own shouts of "EXTREME!" So he settled back and instead looked over the street names, trying to catch the one he needed. At least they were moving quicker than they were before.

* * *

"Good morning, Natsu," Tsuna yawned out.

"Gao~" the little lion purred back. He nuzzled Tsuna's hand, asking for Flames. Tsuna acquiesced and lit harmless Flames, allowing Natsu to feed. He immediately pounced on the playful fire and bit them down. Once he processed the Flames, only taking a couple of seconds to do so, he leapt off the bed to play.

Tsuna yawned again and finally got out of bed at ten. Gokudera probably went out for breakfast, Reborn disappeared when Tsuna was inactive, and Bianchi usually followed Reborn. Tsuna was most likely currently the only person in the house.

After breakfast—simple Japanese fare—he tracked down Natsu, who had been playing with a lizard he caught and dragged in the house. Tsuna helped the lizard escape—thankfully unhurt, though startled—and took Natsu to the backyard to continue training.

* * *

Fifteen minutes after he started running, Ryohei stopped and asked, "Say, where did you say you had to be?"

Fon, still hanging off his shoulder, replied, "I didn't."

"What?" Then where was he running? Why did he _start_ running?

"You didn't give me a chance to tell you," Fon continued.

Oh, right. As soon as the kids had gotten on, he had shot off. "I am extremely sorry! Will you tell me now?"

Fon smiled, amused. "Yes."

Once he was told the address, Ryohei took off running again. In the same direction. And occasionally blindly taking turns. Fon was sure he'd seen this shop just a few minutes ago…

* * *

Tsuna and Natsu spent the entire morning training together and making progress on new attacks and strategies. The leopards were now backed up with hawks to cover him from above. They continuously flew in an indiscernible pattern in a vague dome-like shape, occasionally breaking form to converge in a single point to attack an imaginary enemy.

Tsuna wore his new cloak over his crown as he practiced. The hood's stiff material hid the points of the crown and covered the top portion of his face, which also helped to hide his identity. Haru did a really nice job on it. Tsuna was already used to moving with a hood on—dealing with obstructed vision and slightly muted hearing—but the material did not distort sound or impair his vision since it fluidly flowed out of the way when he turned his head.

Flared up with attack Flames, Natsu led a pride of ethereal lions and cats, moving as a whole to destroy the boulders Reborn set aside for training. Natsu triumphantly roared as the last of the boulders was crushed by two small panthers and then was quieted as Tsuna rushed to him with soft Flames in hand.

"Natsu, we can't be too loud. Breaking rocks is bad enough, but a lion's roar will definitely draw attention," Tsuna scolded as Natsu enthusiastically licked up the last of the flickering Flames. Now sated, soothed, and satisfied, Natsu rolled onto his side and fell asleep in the sun. Sighing, Tsuna let the last of the incorporeal Flame animals dissipate. He stood back up and looked around the yard. Potholes, shallow craters, shattered shards of rocks, and burn marks littered the lawn. Cleanup would take a while again, it seemed.

He really needed to invest in a training ground.

* * *

Just as he shoved the last boulder piece into the corner of the yard (he really had no idea where to dispose of them, so they were piling up), the now-familiar yell of "EXTREME!" cut through the air. So Ryohei was close by. Shrugging, Tsuna picked up the shovel and started to scoop displaced dirt back into the holes.

Rapid footfalls thundered closer and past the house. That boy had an insane amount of energy and stamina. It was a wonder how he didn't fall over with how much physical exertion he put himself through every day.

"Wait!" a tiny voice shouted out nearly inaudibly over Ryohei. The constant and rhythmic footfalls abruptly stopped, producing a skidding screed as momentum was cut off.

"What is it, little man?" Ryohei yelled.

Not straining to be heard anymore, the first voice spoke calmly. "I think this is the house."

Ryohei's brash footsteps turned around and came close again, stopping close by. "This one?"

"Yes."

A doorbell rang. Tsuna stood curiously, wondering who they were trying to meet with, but there was no sound of an opening door. Maybe they weren't home? Then the bell rang again, and Tsuna realized they were ringing for _his_ house. Hurriedly, he slipped off his shoes and ran inside, coming to a stop at the front door. He unlocked the door and swung it open, seeing Ryohei and a child perched on each of his shoulders.

"Hello, Ryohei-san," Tsuna greeted.

Ryohei looked surprised. "Tsuna! I did not know you live here."

"Haha, yeah," Tsuna laughed. "So what did you come here for? You sounded rushed."

Again, Ryohei was shocked. "You heard us coming? You must have extremely good senses!"

_Well, it's a little difficult _not_ to._ Instead of saying so, Tsuna just nodded.

The baby on Ryohei's right shoulder nudged his neck, moving him back into the main conversation. "Oh, right. These two kids said they needed to come to this house. They didn't tell me why."

_So you brought two suspicious people to my house?_ Tsuna knew not to underestimate people. Regardless of their appearance, they could be dangerous. After all, Reborn looked like a two year old and still held the title of World's Greatest Hitman. Again, Tsuna nodded and hummed to show he was paying attention.

"Little man, this is Tsuna, my sister's friend. Tsuna, this is…" Ryohei trailed off. His face was scrunched up in intense concentration for a few seconds while trying to remember before he gave up. "I extremely forgot your name!"

"Quite alright," the red-clothed baby said. "My name is Fon, and this is I-pin. You were expecting me?"

Really? "Was I?" Tsuna cautiously asked. This sounded like a lead-in to a showy assassination. But surely not even the stupidest assassin would try to commit murder in broad daylight in a residential area…

Seeing the hesitation on Tsuna's face, Fon explained. "Reborn called me to teach his student martial arts. You would be Sawada Tsunayoshi, yes?"

That cleared things up. "Ah, yes! Reborn didn't say you would be here today, though." He got out of the way to let them in. Ryohei shucked off his shoes messily while the two children jumped down from his shoulders. They daintily slipped off their miniature shoes and put them in a corner in neat pairs. The group of three followed Tsuna into the living room while they continued their conversation.

"I didn't give him an arrival date. I just said I'd be here when I was ready," Fon clarified. "I'm sorry for making you wait. It took me a while to get here, didn't it?"

"It's okay. I should be thanking you for taking the time to take me up to teach," Tsuna returned. "Should I set some tea?" he asked his guests.

"That would be extremely nice!"

"It would be appreciated."

The girl said something in what he assumed to be Chinese. It sounded like an affirmative, so he gave a quick "I'll be right back" and walked to the kitchen. Using the electric boiling pot to heat the water quickly, he took out a couple cake slices and his favorite tea leaves, which were on the other side of the cabinet from Reborn's expensive coffee beans. Reborn's favored coffee was so ridiculously strong that any food within half a meter's radius acquired the flavor of the coffee. Tsuna did not like coffee-flavored tea, he found after making that mistake early in their arrangement. Finishing the preparations, he set the tea leaves into the teapot and poured the hot water. He arranged the cakes artfully and placed everything on a tray, which he then took to the living room. After distributing the treats and tea, their discussion continued.

"Reborn _did_ say that coming here would be fun, and you seem to be a pleasant person, so I think this will be a nice vacation from work," Fon started.

"Work? Fon-san, what do you do?" Tsuna inquired curiously.

"You work, Fon-san? You're just a kid though! You should extremely enjoy your childhood!" Ryohei shouted with blazing eyes.

Oh. Tsuna forgot about him because of his uncharacteristic silence, probably from eating the cake. Wait! Ryohei was a civilian, and Fon's job was probably mafia-related. Tsuna didn't inadvertently cause a break in the omertà, did he?

"I'm older than I appear," Fon smoothly replied. "I am a freelancer that takes up reasonable requests. I'm also the world's best martial artist."

"Martial arts? Would you happen to know boxing? Let's have an extreme match!" Ryohei excitedly suggested. "Then you can join my boxing club!"

"Yes, I do know boxing, but I prefer other styles," Fon placidly stated. "And perhaps you should look for people in your age group to join your club. I'm not even in your school."

"You're extremely right!" A blaze of determination burst from Ryohei.

Tsuna covered his eyes. _So bright… Yellow, so… that was the Sun type, if I recall correctly._

"I'm going to look right now! Thanks for the tea and cake, Tsuna!" Ryohei then restarted his run throughout the city, now with a goal of recruitment in mind.

"That boy is so energetic," Fon remarked. "Now, about your training, I'll have to see your fighting style so far to see which fits you the best."

"Would you mind if we put it off until tomorrow? I finished Flame training for today not too long ago, and I'm still tired," Tsuna apologetically asked.

The red-robed baby nodded. "That's fine. We're in no hurry, after all." He raised his teacup for a sip and asked, "Where is Reborn, by the way?"

Tsuna sliced a small bit of his cake and ate a nibble. "I don't know. He comes and goes. He leaves me largely alone to do what I think is necessary. So far, his tutoring methods have been hands-off, just giving me directions and expecting me to complete them." Tsuna shrugged. "It works."

"Is that so? Training for martial arts requires more intimate contact. I hope you don't mind."

Tsuna shook his head, his fluffy brown hair swaying with it. "Not at all."

* * *

Reborn came back when Tsuna was putting away the tea dishes and starting dinner. Fon, I-pin, and Lichi were sleeping together on the couch. Jet lag had finally caught up to them.

The hitman was listening to a report from his Leon-phone. His face belied the early stages of planning. A few minutes later, Reborn hung up, and Leon reverted to his chameleon form. The green reptile skittered to the rim of the fedora while Reborn collected his thoughts. Finally, the hitman spoke. "One of my informants told me that one of the king's spies is coming to Japan."

Fon, who had been roused from his sleep by Reborn's entrance, sleepily rose and rubbed his eyes, Lichi doing the same next to him. I-pin continued to sleep. "The king? What king?" Fon questioned confusedly.

Reborn noticed the martial artist sitting up on the couch. "Oh. So you finally got here. Took you long enough." Then he smirked. "Did I forget to tell you? Tsuna is the prince of Merith. His grandfather is trying to get him back."

* * *

Ridiculously long AN:

To lovleydragonfly: I do have some yaoi moments planned. No _definite_ pairings so far, if ever. I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate 8059.

To Evanescentfacade: There is no Soul Society, and I doubt I'll be delving much more into Bleach—or any others. The characters of other anime will probably never fight. They show up, they disappear, like Haru in the last chapter... (although she'll probably come back). They're just fill-ins for the slots I need.

To Moka-girl: I made up a whole country. It was either a not-quite crossover or a lot of OCs. And since I generally don't like OCs, I used characters of other anime; I believe I have said something like that before. I actually like when a writer does that. Which tenses do you have a problem with? Can you give me specific examples? Regarding the information dumps, I don't like reading them either, but I am a lazy person… so I figured I'd get rid of the info all at once. I'll try to spread out the information in the future. Maybe someday I'll go back and fix the ones I've already written. This is my first fic, so I can be forgiven for roughness, right? I actually chose a bad time to start writing. School life is… not so good (currently, I have a backlog of one month's worth of history notes to do, which is partially why this chapter took so long), so the quality is less than what I want it to be. I'm on a time constraint, so I edit less than I should. Bad form, I know. As for a beta… maybe I need one…? I probably need an outsider's opinion. My sister is not that helpful in that sense.

Huh. So a lot of people want to see Bel meet Tsuna. That's not coming up in six chapters at _least_. I have something large planned for him. Please wait patiently until the plot gets there. I don't know how far into the KHR plotline I'll be going. So far, I've planned up to the Varia. Now I just have to fill in the details…

In case you didn't see this on my profile, I am giving early notice that my writing may slow or stop altogether in March, April, and May. Possibly earlier. Like now. Apologies.

Uh… I did say I was going to _try_ to keep a weekly schedule. I started writing late, so I finished late. I only write on the weekends. So… you know… I lost motivation and Ryohei's characterization is hard. I'm not sure what to do about Giotto and the First Generation—they're imprints of their souls on the rings, so they're not really there, are they? ANs are getting too long. I'll post responses here if I feel other people may benefit from the information. If not, I'll PM.

Posted: 2/15/15


	8. Chapter 8

A heavy silence permeated the air. Then Fon sighed heavily. "Reborn, what have you gotten into now?"

"I haven't done anything wrong. I'm just doing my job," Reborn callously replied. "Nono said to train Vongola's heir, so I am. That I had to come across him living as a prince in a foreign country has no effect on the end result. He will become Decimo and he can return to his kingdom afterwards."

"Please tell me you at least did not kidnap him," Fon groaned. The Storm Arcobaleno watched the boy in question come out of the kitchen and take a seat on the couch, careful not to disturb the sleeping duo.

"Of course I didn't. He's here willingly; else he would've tried escaping, right? I see no problem."

"That's expected. You wouldn't care about other's problems unless they directly involve you," Fon muttered. Then he said in a louder voice, "And how are you dealing with the king you mentioned before? How long has it been anyways?"

"It's been about two months since we left the kingdom. Tsuna's grandfather was not as willing as his mother to let Tsuna become a mafia boss. So we snuck out." Reborn smirked. It was always entertaining to pull one over a person of high standing. That it was a king he duped made it all the more fun. "I know that he sent his best detective to track us, but since he was unable to, the king has released more onto our trail. It appears more to be a hit-and-miss type of strategy, though. The first detective is trying to follow our trail, but I set up several false leads. It'll take at least a year to work through all of them if we don't give away any clues from here."

"Wait," Tsuna interrupted. "That detective, would it happen to be a teen named Ciel Phantomhive?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

Tsuna fiddled with a strand of hair, twirling and tugging at it nervously. "Possibly. He's been my English tutor for the past year or so. I know that he's never needed more than a week or two to solve a case. If it's been two months, he's probably very snappish right now."

Reborn scoffed. "How is that detrimental to us? People make more mistakes when they're angry, which makes them more predictable and easy to track."

"His anger fuels motivation, which accelerates his rate of resolving cases. I don't know how you guys match up in skills, so I can't give you an estimation of which side would win. Reborn may throw Ciel off, or Ciel might burn through the fakes and find us."

"Then I'll have to keep a closer eye on him," Reborn decided and then chuckled lightly. "Well, he won't be a problem for a while at least. The last I heard, he was in Cuba."

"And I guess he has his butler with him," Tsuna added.

"If you mean the tall man with red eyes, then yes. There's also your guard following him around, that orange-haired teen," Reborn answered.

"Ichigo? He's with them?" Tsuna asked, surprised. "Well I guess it makes sense since I'm his charge. If they ever find us, I feel like there will be a lot of friction. Ichigo is not the calmest person, you know. Usually, he's an 'act first, think later' type of guy."

"Oh? How so?" Fon rose up a bit more, interested.

"Hm… there was one incident during my younger years when I got separated from my mother while we were making a visit to the villages near the castle. I don't know how I managed to do that, considering we were surrounded by a circle of guards, but I ended up in a dark area that branched out from the officials' district." Tsuna's eyes turned a little glazed, as if reliving the event. "And there was a guy there who asked me something, but I don't remember what."

"_Hey, kid, wanna make some money?"_

"_Money?" Why would he want money? Tsu-kun already had everything he needed—a home, his mother, and his big brother Ichi. His father was never around, so he figured he didn't have one. He didn't need anyone or anything else. He was happy as is._

_The man, mistakenly thinking that the naïve little boy was interested, got more enthusiastic. "Yeah, boy, and it ain't hard either. Just come here and take off—"_

_The grubby man never got to finish his sentence because of a very angry fourteen-year-old kicking his shin hard enough to make an ominous crack. The man screamed before dropping to his knees, at which point the boy played the situation to his advantage and brought a knee up to smash it into the man's face as he fell. Another snap signaled his nose breaking._

_The molester defeated, Ichigo turned to the confused little prince, who did not comprehend a single second of what just occurred._

"Ichigo found me and beat the guy up quickly. He was still angry when he was taking me back to the castle, and he only calmed down after I hugged him and promised I would stick close to Kaa-san from then on." Tsuna fidgeted a little. "And he still won't tell me what that guy was going to say!"

"I have a feeling you wouldn't want to know," Reborn muttered. "So? Then what?"

"Ichigo wouldn't let me out of his sight for a couple of weeks after that, but then his dad started his training with Zangetsu, so he couldn't be near me all the time anymore. He tried as much as he could, though."

"Who's Zangetsu?"

"Ichigo's spirit partner. He's a Lunar Wolf, the same as Ichigo's dad's partner. A spirit partner allows the human to borrow its power for a short time and enhances strength."

"That sounds useful. Do you have one?"

"No. I never got the chance to bond with one since I was limited to the area around the castle. The areas with bondable and willing spirits are usually in the outer districts, about fifty and above. The most I was able to go to was ten."

"Pity. It could've made your life easier."

Tsuna seemed offended. "You can't think of spirits as a commodity. They stick to you for life, so only those that are compatible to you will bond. They intimately form a bond with the soul itself; they can't just be shed and picked up at convenience."

Reborn looked at the chameleon currently perched on his forearm, staring up at him with shining orange eyes. Leon had been with him throughout his Arcobaleno years up to this point. He didn't need prompting to know what Reborn wanted him to change into. Leon was a loyal partner that Reborn would feel pained to lose. "Point taken," Reborn admitted. Leon made a gurgled purr, and Reborn affectionately rubbed the top of his scaled head.

Tsuna calmed and continued. "As for the others, Sebastian won't act without Ciel's orders for some reason. He'd calmly watch someone die in front of him and not make a move to help unless Ciel tells him to, and Ciel wouldn't order Sebastian to help if he knows that the person committed bad enough crimes. Ciel can tell the important, notable pieces of a person's history just from observing them for a short while, so his judgment doesn't waver. But I've heard that he only ever abandoned one person to die."

"Who was it?" Reborn had a feeling that this detail was important, and he never disregarded his instincts.

"It was a little after he moved to Merith and Grandfather had given him the task of underworld control, similar to what he used to do in his home country. He was eleven at the time, and I think he was tracking down a rapist that murdered his victims. The report he submitted said his target was already beaten badly and bled to death by the time he found him, but during one of my lessons a little while later, Ciel told me that he ordered Sebastian to… cut him up a little bit more. No one bothered to look into it further."

Reborn caught on quickly. "Ah… so the butler ensured him a slow death. Bleeding out is relatively painless compared to other methods of death once enough blood has spilled, but it is a frightening one, knowing that death is certain and imminent." And Ciel coldly watched it all happen.

Reborn had a theory of who the target was. The events of Ichigo and Ciel seemed to correspond just a little too closely to be a coincidence. And Tsuna still didn't catch on… It seemed Tsuna's business sense, strategy, and leadership were excellent, but his physical strength was never built up and his naïveté never got a chance to be slowly worn away.

Tsuna was still so innocent, having never been given a chance to explore the real world until now. The death of the previous heir must've hit the king hard, and now he was suffocating his grandson in overly cautious maneuvers. Tsuna was kept in the castle (although Tsuna did manage to slip his guards occasionally), he wasn't taught how to fight for fear of him getting hurt, and information given to him was censored or withheld altogether. The king was training his current heir insufficiently. Fine. Reborn would fill in the holes that the king left. Tsuna would be a capable prince _and_ mafia heir by the time Reborn deemed his training to be done.

What Reborn didn't understand was why Ciel had decided to have the man killed instead of taking him to be imprisoned for life. To just upright rule his death sentence would mean that he was personally affected in some way. Ciel himself couldn't have been a victim since he had moved there not long before that, and his butler never left his side anyways, so he was constantly protected. He had no relatives there either, as he was the last of his line. The only person he could think of was Tsuna. Tsuna was nearly attacked just a few hours before at most. Ciel might have seen it happen and most likely almost intervene if it was not for Ichigo fortunately finding Tsuna before anything disastrous could happen. Ciel might have felt obligated to get immediate vengeance, or maybe he held affections for his student as well. Of course, it could be that Reborn just had too little information to go on and he was miles off the right answer, but it was not a bad theory either. Tsuna had a natural draw to him that induced feelings of softness and protectiveness. Reborn himself was affected by it, being much easier on Tsuna than he was on Dino. Not that he let Tsuna know—or anyone else, for that matter. He couldn't let his reputation fall, after all.

* * *

After going over a few more details, the conversation looped back to the original problem. "Do you know who is planning to come to Japan?" Fon inquired.

"Yes, just one man by the name of Toshiro Hitsugaya."

Tsuna was mildly surprised. "He's looking for me, too? Grandfather must really want me back."

_So he can hide you away again._ "I'll have to put up more blockers to keep you hidden. If it proves to be useless, then we'll enact plan I, at least temporarily."

"I don't think we'll have to go _that_ far. Like I said, if Grandfather is resorting to Captain Hitsugaya, he's getting impatient. He's not the army's head of investigations for nothing, but he's not that inconspicuous either, so it'll be easy to avoid him when we need to."

"And why is that?" Fon asked.

"Well… he's eleven years old, has white hair, and carries around a sword as long as he is tall."

_He'd definitely stand out, even in Namimori,_ Reborn concluded, but then specific residents came to mind._ Well, maybe not. After all, there is the enthusiastic boxer that has white hair and Nami Chuu's Disciplinary Committee's head that doesn't limit his power to just the school and instead exerts authority over the whole city… Yeah. He'd fit right in._

Fon was startled at the age. "He's just a boy? How did he get into such a high position?" he questioned.

"Hm…" Tsuna hummed, considering. "I heard he bonded with an ice dragon out of loneliness when he was very young, and so he couldn't control his powers. Someone from the army found him after some nearby villagers reported abnormal weather patterns. He was brought to the capital and instructed to learn control. He learned quickly and never left. There's very little chance of an attack on Merith, but just in case, the higher ups decided to put him into the Department of Investigations to reduce the risk of injury. He acclimated well and even became its head."

The rest of the discussion was spent working out a few minor detail and informing Reborn about potential problematic people. Afterwards, Bianchi came and took I-pin to continue sleeping in her room, and Fon was situated in Tsuna's room with another small hammock.

Tsuna was running out of room to house people. The only empty room was the master bedroom, but Tsuna didn't want anyone to stay there. It was his parents' space. Maybe he should consider getting another house? He certainly had the money for it. Maybe one close to the school; then he wouldn't have to worry about being late. Bianchi, Fon, and I-pin could stay in this one while he, Reborn, and Gokudera moved to the new one. But a house that had a large backyard would be better for his training, which wouldn't be available in a strictly urban area. And far from other people—then he would not have to stress over anyone seeing him practice his Flame use… So a house on the outskirts would be better?

Tsuna continued to consider the merits of another house and ideal features as he got ready for bed and went to sleep. Above Tsuna, the tiny hitman looked down from his hammock. Reborn knew what his student was thinking and he agreed; a larger house would be beneficial. He'd have to put that into action—a new house befitting the new generation of Vongola.

* * *

It was a rare day when Tsuna had nothing planned and had invited his Storm Guardian on a lazy walk around Namimori. And Gokudera, instead of watching over his Sky from afar like on a normal day, accepted to accompany him. They stopped by the front of a flower shop to admire the blooming lilies artfully arranged in a large vase.

Another teen, wearing an odd apple hat that hid away most of his abnormal sea-green hair, detached himself from the stream of pedestrians and settled next to them. "Flowers are plants' reproductive systems. So people basically admire the reproductive organs of plants. Perverts," he commented as he looked at the shop.

Tsuna was mildly put off-balance by what the stranger said. "…Were you dropped on your head as a kid?" Gokudera asked.

The other boy swept his eyes to the silver-haired teen and monotonously answered, "How would I know? My memories don't extend that far, and what idiot would tell their child they dropped them? That's careless. How about you then? Ah." He clapped his hands together as if a thought just struck him and an idea was cleared up. "That's why you're always so angry. Your brain took a hit and became deformed."

"I was _not_ dropped as a child, and my frontal lobe is just fine!" the Storm Guardian angrily shouted.

"Is that so? It doesn't seem like it." The expressionless boy then looked toward Tsuna. His next sentence shocked Tsuna. "If I may ask, would you happen to be Tsuna la Alsveith?"

Tsuna and Gokudera jerked in surprise. Reborn readied Leon to shoot. This was a bad situation. Tsuna didn't have his crown and cloak and Natsu was at home, so he wouldn't be able to fight should there be a need. He still hadn't gotten enough control over his Flames to fight without a booster of some sort. Well, if the situation was dire, Reborn could always shoot a Dying Will Bullet. Tsuna would just have to get over it later.

"Tsuna-sama, do you recognize this person?" Gokudera whispered as he huddled closer to his Sky.

"No, not at all," Tsuna whispered back. "I've never seen him in the castle or the surrounding villages. Maybe he's a mercenary?"

"Hey, what are you two muttering about?" The unidentified person moved to walk closer, but Gokudera brandished an unlit stick of dynamite threateningly, so he stepped back.

"Who are you?" Tsuna called out.

"Me? I'm Fran. I'm from the 62nd district of Merith. Nice to meet you." The now-identified Fran waved a hand halfheartedly in greeting. "If you're worried about me reporting your location to the king, don't worry. I wasn't sent here by him."

_He speaks the truth,_ a voice whispered in his mind. Somewhat calmed and feeling relieved, Tsuna let tension flow out of his limbs, but was still prepared to make an escape. "Yes, I am Tsuna. If I may ask, why are you here?"

"No particular reason, really," Fran replied. "I was bored, so I found someone that would give me some entertainment. Your mother is really nice. She offered you to me."

"O-offered?" Gokudera stuttered. "Sh-she offered to give Tsuna-sama to you?"

Fran blinked. "Yes."

A shadow overtook Gokudera's eyes. He stepped in front of the shocked brunet and growled, "I won't let you have him!"

Fran tilted his head slightly, undaunted by the sudden mood change. "Why not? I just want to play with him a little."

The bomber slipped out more dynamite and slotted them in between his fingers, ready to be thrown. "I will not allow Tsuna-sama to be played with and thrown away! He deserves better than that! If you want him, you have to prove yourself worthy."

"But his mother already gave me permission. She overrules you."

"Then I choose to defy her," Gokudera declared.

Sensing an imminent fight, Tsuna smoothly swerved in front of Gokudera and grasped his wrists to prevent him from throwing his weapons. Once secured, Tsuna addressed Fran. "What do you mean by 'offered'?"

"She said you would keep me from being bored. So far, you're doing well. I think I'll stay with you," Fran decided.

_Don't just impose yourself on me,_ Tsuna complained internally. "Is that all, then?" he said instead. At least Gokudera had stopped trying to blast the green-haired boy into pieces, although he was still acting hostile and growling threateningly.

"Were you expecting something else?"

Tsuna sighed. "I guess not. Let's go back home, Gokudera-kun. Fran, do you have a place to stay?"

Fran shrugged. "I thought I would stay with you, so no."

Tsuna mentally calculated the possible places that Fran could be placed. His room was already quite full with Reborn's and Fon's hammocks. Bianchi and I-pin were together, and they were females, so that option wasn't even available. Another futon could be laid out in Gokudera's room. "You can room with Gokudera-kun," Tsuna offered.

Gokudera looked ready to protest but caught himself from refusing his boss. "If that's what Tsuna-sama wants," he acquiesced.

"Thank you." Tsuna smiled brightly at the blushing Storm.

* * *

Tsuna picked up another school registration form and gave it to Fran to fill out. Most of it was made up information, such as his place of birth, because he had no idea what would be an appropriate response. Grandmother's backyard, though true (he was born prematurely for some unexpected reason), didn't seem to be an acceptable answer, and the 62nd district of Merith wasn't on any map except Merith's. He wrote in his grandmother's birthplace instead.

"Will you be okay at school, Fran?" At Fran's blank stare (his stares were always blank, actually), Tsuna clarified. "Regarding the course material, I mean."

Fran nodded. "I might've come from a rural area, but I did have education. I wasn't going to stay there and be a farmer, you know."

"What were you planning to be?" Tsuna inquired curiously.

"A superhero," he intoned in a flat voice, though the sparkle in his normally dull eyes was telling.

* * *

"We have another transfer student. Be kind to him."

"Yes, sensei," the students chorused.

Nezu nodded and called out, "You may come in now."

The door slid open and Fran entered, not wearing his apple hat and therefore allowing his unusually colored hair to be seen. He originally tried to wear it to school, but Tsuna dissuaded him. After weeks of observing the goings-on in school, he picked out the strictness of the Disciplinary Committee in upholding the rules. And Tsuna read the whole manual given to them on their first day, hoping to avoid unfavorable confrontations. Most of them were the expected statutes of a middle school—get to class on time, tardiness and absences must be excused, and so on—but a couple seemed out of place: small animals must not be hurt, the teachers will submit to the Disciplinary Committee, all school activities must be approved of by the head of the Disciplinary Committee, and some others. And all infractions were punished in the same way—to be bitten to death. The Disciplinary Committee of Nami Chuu had a lot more power than those of other schools. Quite unusual. Tsuna wondered why.

Fran stopped at the front of the board. "My name is Fran. I'll be your classmate from now on. Or at least until you drop out or the year passes. Whichever comes first, but judging by your uncomprehending expressions, you'll drop out first."

The ensuing offended cacophony was only quieted when the teacher acknowledged his lost control of his class and the Disciplinary Committee was called in. Silence immediately reigned.

Huh. Maybe that's why they were so strong.

* * *

During lunch, Tsuna chose to stay in the classroom to eat. He handed out bentos to Fran and Gokudera, and the trio opened the packages to eat in their corner in the back of the classroom.

Tsuna observed the class critically. Most students were casually chatting with their classmates and friends while eating lunch, but Yamamoto-kun looked more strained than usual, although no one else could tell.

Tsuna leaned over the aisle between his desk and Gokudera's and spoke loud enough for him to hear over the other voices, "Gokudera-kun, I'm worried."

Gokudera stopped chewing on an eggroll and swallowed to clear his mouth. "What about, Tsuna-sama?"

"Do you see him?" He pointed to the baseball player. "He looks like he's about to fall over." And he really did. Light splotches under his eyes denoted sleep deprivation and his hands shook nervously. Yamamoto laughed at something one of his friends said, but it sounded dead. Again, no one took notice or they chose not to acknowledge it. "Can you keep watch over him for me?" Tsuna would've done it himself, but he needed to show Fran around, and he didn't trust that the green-haired boy wouldn't provoke the volatile bomber into an argument that would escalate into an actual fight just for the sake of entertainment.

"Why, Tsuna-sama? I mean, I'll gladly do it, but his issues don't concern you, do they?"

"I have a feeling something bad will happen…"

* * *

As asked, when Tsuna took Fran to show him around, Gokudera stayed behind and kept watch over the fictitiously happy teen. Then when Yamamoto excused himself and left the classroom, Gokudera followed. He stalked him up two floors, but then was distracted by a couple blatantly making out in the middle of the hallway.

"Get a room!" he growled at them. The two students scurried away, and Gokudera noticed that he lost sight of his charge. "Oh, damn."

Fortunately, his sharp ears picked up the sound of feet hitting stairs, progressively getting farther away. He correctly concluded that Yamamoto was still not on the floor he wanted to be at, but there was not much use on the upper floors. Most of the rooms were unoccupied classrooms, and the only thing above those was the restricted roof, deemed to be so by the claim of one Hibari Kyoya. What was Yamamoto planning?

* * *

As the two handsome and popular boys of 2A made their way up the building, curious students followed them to see what they were up to. To them, it looked like the normally cool and aloof Gokudera was following his crush, the cheerful and energetic Yamamoto. They speculated that Gokudera was going to corner his crush and make a confession, and the interested students not-so-covertly followed them. Yamamoto kept walking to the more isolated part of the school, and Gokudera kept following. Did he know that Gokudera was following him and wanted privacy?

* * *

Yamamoto opened the door to the forbidden rooftop, unhindered by the rusted lock. Gokudera silently followed, but broke his cover once he was able to see Yamamoto's purpose.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

The startling shout enticed the nosy students to flood onto the rooftop. They all gasped as they saw what shocked Gokudera and were stunned themselves.

The ever-happy, always cheerful baseball player was on the other side of the chain link fence, about to take a step to death.

"Yamamoto-kun, what are you doing?"

"Yamamoto, get away from there!"

"We haven't won the championship yet!"

The last comment struck Yamamoto hard, and Gokudera could see that. He chuckled lowly, and even the previously oblivious students could hear the emptiness of it. "Do you see what I am worth? A baseball game. People only want to be with me because I am good at playing baseball. Can you guess what would happen if I ever lost my ability to play? I'd be abandoned. It's all I'm good for. I haven't been feeling well lately, and my skills have taken a hit. I can already see people starting to leave me."

Halfhearted protests arose, and Yamamoto laughed bitterly again. "Don't even try to deny it. See what I mean? My so-called 'friends' are fake."

Gokudera climbed over the fence too, and when he found steady footing, he grabbed the front of Yamamoto's shirt and brought his face down to his level. "Don't repress your problems, you idiot! Talk it out with someone!" he yelled at him. "And if your friends are only pretenders, then so what?! Find better ones!"

Yamamoto was surprised. He certainly hadn't expected anyone to go this far for him, to risk their own life to try and save his which he was so willingly trying to get rid of. "I—"

"What?! You don't think you can?" Gokudera snapped.

"But—" He was interrupted again.

"Fine then! I'll be your friend! A real one!" Gokudera declared. "Now, as your friend, I demand that we get away from here!"

_I don't think friends work like that_, Yamamoto thought to himself. _Not that I would know what genuine friends are like… But… it's okay._ He smiled. "Okay!" he replied. _I can tell he has good intentions._ Warmth took over his body, chasing away the feelings of loneliness that previously dominated him.

However, as they were halfway up the fence, the weight of the two teens snapped the corroded bases holding the fence to the roof. The fence bent back, and the two lost balance, losing grip on the broken fence as they fell. The watching students gasped and screamed in horror as they witnessed the impending deaths of their schoolmates.

* * *

"I will _not_ die like this!" Gokudera snarled. He maneuvered his body mid-air to get closer to Yamamoto and grabbed the other teen's shirt. He straddled his body for a better grip, locking his legs tightly around Yamamoto's waist. With his free hand, he yanked out a bomb and hurriedly lit it, protecting the fuse from going out from the wind. He pointed it fuse-side up and threw it like a spear right below them, where they were going to land.

The bomb thrown down detonated, creating a buffeting wind that slowed their descent enough to prevent serious injury, and the resulting pit of sand absorbed most of the leftover impact, although both of them still had scrapes and scratches all over their bodies. The two teens, still with adrenaline running unregulated through their veins, panted harshly as they slowly overcame the shock of falling over ten stories. Gokudera lied tiredly on top of Yamamoto, struggling to get back on his feet. He managed to raise himself up onto his hands and knees, enough to glare heatedly into the eyes of the baseball player who was now smiling more sincerely than before.

"Haha. Sorry," Yamamoto offered.

The silver-haired teen scoffed and got off of Yamamoto completely. "Don't you _ever_ do that again," Gokudera growled.

"Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto-kun! Are you alright?" Tsuna ran out of the building, panicked and worried after witnessing the fall from an adjacent window.

"Just fine, Tsuna-sama. I kept this idiot safe, just like you said to," Gokudera said proudly. He had such a delighted glimmer as he looked at Tsuna. Yamamoto wished he would look at him like that too.

"Your hard heads saved you both, huh? That was predictable." Fran nonchalantly ambled behind the relieved brunet, appearing to be unaffected.

"Shut up, you—" Gokudera's tirade was cut off by an unanticipated entrance, although it really should have been expected, considering all the noise and panic they caused.

"What are you herbivores doing?" That voice… Tsuna only heard it once before when he watched a group of delinquents smoking under the sakura trees during lunch. They were beaten black and blue by that person. "Destruction of school property? I'll bite you to death."

And all of Tsuna's efforts to keep them out of trouble at school were shot down by this one incident.

* * *

Eh. The first section was very boring. Hard to write. I think I need to rewrite the suicide scene. It feels too rushed.

Thanks to those who bothered to drop a word/suggestion/encouragement. A note on pairings: if it's not yaoi, it'll be gen. I can't do het… I'm just not interested.

If Tsuna ever got a spirit partner, what would he have? And should Fran have one? I like Fran, but he is hard to write. I can't seem to do monotonous sassy. Hitsugaya won't show up much, if at all, within my current plans.

Again, I will say updates may slow or stop altogether for the next few months. How annoyed would you be if I posted on April 1st?

Posted: 3/1/15


	9. Chapter 9

Tsuna felt conflicted. His proud, formal upbringing demanded that he stand straight and look his adversary in the eyes, but his own instincts curbed that notion and instead favored backing away from the dangerous predator. He attempted to do both. In the end, he looked like a lynx trying to stand up to a wolf, stubbornly meeting his opponent head-on but ready to make a retreat at any moment. Actually, he was more of a lynx kitten. For all that he postured, Tsuna wouldn't be able to outrun Hibari no matter how hard he tried. After all, Hibari had years of running down delinquents and lawbreakers while Tsuna played hide-and-seek-tag with his guards. "Hello, Hibari-san," Tsuna called out, drawing attention to himself and away from the panting students.

Hibari regarded him silently. "You… you're one of the transfer students. What are you doing here?" According to his files, Sawada Tsunayoshi was a quiet, unassuming boy that stayed out of trouble; nothing to be concerned about. The way he was standing up to him was commendable but not threatening in the slightest sense—it was more of a cute act than a challenge for power. As such, Hibari took no offense.

Tsuna waved a hand towards Gokudera and Yamamoto. "I was worried about my friends. I saw them fall from the roof."

Hibari looked upward, seeing a section of the safety fence missing and a crowd of herbivores standing close to the edge. The missing piece was not so far from the herbivores on the ground. What were they doing on the roof anyways? He'd claimed it as his personal territory, not just as a part of Namimori under his jurisdiction. "Is that so?" Then Hibari turned to the banged up duo questioningly.

Yamamoto laughed lightly. "Yeah. That whole fence needs to be fixed. It broke and fell when we were both… _leaning_ on it."

Gokudera stepped back a little to see Yamamoto eye-to-eye. "Are you kidding? We nearly just _died_! And you're _laughing_! Are you insane?"

"Considering he just tried to commit suicide, I'd argue it to be true," Fran helpfully commented.

"Suicide? Dying on the campus is not allowed. Prepare to be bitten to death." Hibari raised his two tonfas, ready to start his attack. Speaking of which, where did he get the tonfas from? Tsuna didn't see them anywhere even three seconds ago. He looked more closely at them, finding lines all along the metal body. Huh. So it was retractable.

"You just said dying is not allowed here and you're going to 'bite him to death'. Doesn't that mean you're going to make someone break the rule?" Fran clapped mockingly. "Brilliant law enforcement we have here. Right, fairy prince?"

_Fairy prince?_ Tsuna wondered incredulously. Where did that come from? Nonetheless, he shook his head and responded, "Should you really be antagonizing him right now, Fran?"

"I'm not antagonizing him; I'm pointing out he's making a contradiction," Fran returned easily.

Seeing the prefect grip his tonfas just a bit tighter, Tsuna intervened before any more lines could be crossed. He could tell Hibari wasn't going to listen to reason, so at this point the best thing to do would be to make a distraction and divert attention from themselves. "Hibari-san, look at all of those herbivores staring down at us." _I'm very sorry_, Tsuna mentally apologized to the students on the roof. Hopefully they'd get the idea to _flee_ before death fell upon them. Tsuna had a feeling it was worse than the giant falling apples of the 62nd district. The memory of a "useless littering herbivore" beat-down floated to the forefront of his mind. Yep. Definitely worse. Those bloodstains still marked the side wall of the art room. "Wow, that's a really large _crowd_ of _herbivores_ up there."

Hibari's attention was redirected to the spectators, feeling irritation rise as he registered just _how many_ were gathered. His overwhelming hatred of crowds won over this questionable situation, so he decided to put this case on hold. He'd get Kusakabe to gather information about it for him later. For now he'd break up that crowd.

Tsuna felt relief as the intimidating prefect deemed them to be a less important matter and left, his black jacket's empty sleeves fluttering as he walked back into the school. The students above seemed to catch on that trouble was coming their way and hastily scattered, not wishing to fall victim to the brutal disciplinary head.

The brunet let out the suspended breath he'd been holding while Hibari had been making his verdict. Exasperatedly, he pled, "Fran, can you not provoke people so much?" Now it looked as if he'd have to look out for taunts with Gokudera _and_ Hibari. And the list would keep getting longer…

Fran folded his hands behind his head, rustling his own sea-green hair minutely. "Why not? It's fun."

Right. Tsuna had forgotten that Fran came to Japan to leave his drab life back at Merith. And it seemed that Fran would stir up trouble if there was a chance of finding even a trace of entertainment, even if it ended up giving Tsuna a headache. "Never mind."

* * *

School the next day was somewhat awkward. News had gotten around about Yamamoto's attempted, aborted, and accidental-almost suicide. His false friends felt guilty for using him only for his skills and not valuing him as a person and attempted to reconcile. Yamamoto smiled broadly and told them not to worry about it, but no one noticed that he never said all was well. The star baseball player was willing to forget about them but not forgive.

He still played baseball; after Gokudera forcefully became his first genuine friend, he regained his motivation to play—this time not to stay in the good graces of the school but to prove to Gokudera how much his words meant to him. He was lively and spirited on the field, all traces of depression gone, even on the hidden level. And Gokudera picked up on it, lips twitching upward just a little bit as he and Tsuna watched Yamamoto practice with his distanced teammates.

Yamamoto started to hang around Tsuna and Gokudera after the "Falling Star" event, which is what the school's gossipers called Yamamoto's unprecedented break in frivolity. The name caught on with the spread of rumors. Tsuna didn't know if the name was meant to tell about the baseball star's actual fall or if it predicted a decrease in popularity, which in that case would've been wrong. Yamamoto was still coveted as the school's best baseball player, although the team and admirers no longer pretended that they cared for more than that.

The rumor mill spun uncontrolled by the Disciplinary Committee. Tsuna thought it was Hibari's unusual way of punishment for causing such a ruckus in the first place. Yamamoto wouldn't do it again, though; Tsuna could tell. He was genuinely enjoying his life and brightened up even more when Gokudera was near. And no matter how much Gokudera pretended to think that Yamamoto was a bother, Tsuna could see that he appreciated his calming aura. Although it seemed to have no effect, in reality Gokudera's curses grew to have less vitriol and his blows less strength. Tsuna enjoyed having Yamamoto around as well. The atmosphere was generally lighter with him nearby. Tsuna helped Yamamoto study for his classes when he needed help, and sometimes Gokudera made small contributions as they all sat in Tsuna's room, two tiny hammocks swinging overhead.

The rumors themselves got more ridiculous with each telling. At first it was the general truth—Gokudera followed Yamamoto to the rooftop, they had a serious conversation (or as much of a conversation as Gokudera's one-sided yelling allowed), the fence broke as they were getting back to safety, and they miraculously landed mostly unharmed, which drew Hibari to the scene.

The story got warped after being passed down second-hand, then even more with the next round. The first "edited" version was fairly innocent—Gokudera shyly confessed to Yamamoto in order to stop him from committing suicide out of what he thought to be unreciprocated feelings, but as they were getting back on the other side of the fence, it snapped and they fell, but the "power of love" protected them and saved them both. (Bianchi liked this version the most.) Tsuna didn't think it was very rational. The romance addicts ignored him.

Currently, the story went that Gokudera passionately declared his undying love for Yamamoto while on the rooftop, Yamamoto reciprocated, they had several dates (how was that possible within the ten minutes they spent on the roof?), they found each other to be _the_ perfect match, and they held a small, sweet wedding ceremony at the front of the school under blooming trees with Hibari as the priest (but how they got there was never mentioned, nor was the broken fence ever explained). Supposedly there were two witnesses there at the "ceremony". Students' efforts to discover the identities of the unspecified people commenced soon after the start of the butchered rumor circulation, but to no avail. (And every time Fran encountered gossipers discussing it and made to open his mouth, Tsuna slapped a hand over it to keep him quiet. He staunchly ignored the odd looks the act garnered. He didn't want nor need Fran to out them.)

The people that were actually there to witness what happened didn't know how the truth got so warped, but no one bothered to correct the rumors. It was good entertainment to find out what ridiculous detail was added in between classes and even behind books while the unobservant teachers lectured. There really wasn't much that could be done anyways. Gokudera tried at first, but his denial only fueled the flames. Gokudera was _obviously_ shy about his new relationship. Maybe it was even his _first_. The school journalism committee then started to sniff around their class, hoping to find another intriguing story or a confirmation of the recent events. Needless to say, they were not well received. Hibari searched for the source of the burns marring Nami Chuu's walls, but was unable to track whoever it was down. Meanwhile, Tsuna confiscated Gokudera's bombs while in school. (But what Tsuna didn't know was that Gokudera could simply make more using supplies from the janitor's closets dotting the school. Needless to say, the confiscation had no effect on the number of burn marks appearing every day.)

Reborn approved of Tsuna's choice of Rain Guardian—even though Tsuna himself was not aware of both Yamamoto's Rain nature and Reborn's acceptance. Investigations into the boy's background revealed his line of succession from the First Generation's Rain Guardian, Asari Ugetsu. The resemblance was uncanny. Although Yamamoto didn't have formal sword training, if any at all, the potential to be an outstanding swordsman was definitely there.

With Gokudera taking position as Storm Guardian as his ancestor once did and that potential Cloud Guardian descended from Alaude, it was evident that Tsuna's circle of Guardians would be a troublesome but entertaining bunch to watch over and guide. Then there was Fran, a potential Mist Guardian. Tsuna handled him well enough, but Fran was an individual that liked to cause tumult. He was a foreseeable problem in the future should he choose to weigh his own wants over Tsuna. Reborn would keep an eye out for other Mists before making a final judgment.

* * *

For the past couple of days, Reborn left the house frequently for hours to do something undisclosed to Tsuna, and Tsuna didn't ask, correctly deducing that it would cause more trouble than relief should he choose to. Nothing he said would veer Reborn from his actions if he saw no merit or a larger benefit in it. During the time Reborn was home, however, he worked Tsuna to the bone, exhausting the teen enough for him to drop into bed in exhaustion every night. He made Gokudera train with Tsuna, prompting a project of finding ways to make bombs and their explosions more subtle. They found that Flame animals of a decent size could swallow a bomb and run it to a target covertly by taking a swerved path instead of head-on. The problem was that the added heat of the Flames tended to make the bombs explode faster, so not all of the bombs met the target. This impelled Gokudera to start to design a new bomb that was less affected by outside temperature and only responsive to the burning wick. On top of that, Fon started Tsuna's physical training, wearing down even more of his strength. The next day was a repeat of the last, and again, and again…

Each day Tsuna went to school, he was weighed down by fatigue. He was thankful that he sat at the back of the classroom since most teachers tended not to extend their range of perception there. Gokudera sat next to him, hidden even better from the teacher because of Yamamoto's tall frame in front of him. Unfortunately for Tsuna, the desk before his was empty and left him vulnerable to the teacher's eyes. On the fourth day since the start of Reborn's abnormal scheduling, Tsuna was finally caught sleeping during class.

"Sawada! Get your head off the desk! Do you think this is your room and you can do whatever you want?" Nezu barked at him.

"Geh!" Tsuna's head shot up from his arms crossed over his desk. His hair was ruffled more than usual and light circles under his half-lidded eyes made him look like a sleepy panda. Some of the girls cooed. Gokudera flushed red. Fran hummed interestedly. "I'm very sorry, sensei. Please excuse my unforgivable behavior," he slurred out. Even half-asleep, Tsuna knew how to slip out of a bad situation. This one wasn't particularly difficult; all he had to do was appeal to the teacher's misplaced sense of superiority.

"Hmph." Nezu was very satisfied with the response he got. At least one student in here appreciated his talents. "Just don't do it again." His conceited smirk ruined the picture of respectability he was trying to project.

"Yes, sir," Tsuna replied with a mocking salute, although the prideful teacher didn't realize it. As soon as Nezu turned around and continued his lesson on the discovery and uses of potassium, Tsuna dropped his head back into the comfort of his arms and drifted into a light doze. _That reminds me; I need to adjust my song for humans. That would make this even easier._ The thought sunk into the back of his mind as he fell further into sleep, unbothered until the bell signaled for lunch.

* * *

Big brown doe eyes peered up at Tsuna innocently. The long striped scarf wrapped around the boy's neck made him appear to be smaller than he really was. He smiled appealingly and cried out, "Tsuna-nii!" The boy ran forward to Tsuna. The sandy-blond head pressed into Tsuna's chest and his arms wrapped around his torso, the small hands clutching at the back of Tsuna's shirt.

Tsuna stumbled a little, finding balance after the boy slammed into him. He… was sure he'd never met this boy before. But… Tsuna-nii? That was not a coincidence. How many other people around here were called Tsuna and looked like him? Zero. But how'd the boy know who he was? Unless he had some type of connection to him… Tsuna froze. Tsuna-nii… Big Brother Tsuna… Did his dad…?

Reborn leapt from the tree above and landed on Tsuna's head, the unexpected weight pressing Tsuna's face into the top of the boy's hair. "It's not what you're thinking. Don't worry," the Sun Arcobaleno said. "Now, if you're done getting over your unnecessary shock, let's go home. You can't talk freely outside. People can listen in."

Still somewhat paralyzed, Tsuna jerkily walked home, the affectionate boy all the while keeping hold of his shirt.

* * *

Tsuna set out his customary snacks and tea for guests. Once done, he settled onto the couch with a piece of cake. "So," he asked, "what is it you came for?"

"I'm Fuuta de la Stella, the Ranking Prince," the boy introduced.

"Prince? Of what territory? I haven't heard of you before." Tsuna couldn't recall any prince named Fuuta. Well, considering that Fuuta was quite young and Tsuna started to go to the Royalty Summits only in recent years, it was very unlikely that Tsuna would've known of him, even less if Fuuta was not first in line.

"Territory?" Fuuta asked, uncomprehendingly.

"It's a title, little prince. He's called the Ranking Prince because of his ability to make accurate rankings. He's not part of a monarchical family," Reborn explained to Tsuna. "In addition to that, he's part of the mafia world, so he is hidden from the rest of society."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Now, about why I came here…"

* * *

Tsuna sighed, relieved. "Is that it? That's not out of my range."

"So you'll help me?" Fuuta looked hopefully at him, hands clasped together in front.

"Yeah. Sure." Tsuna smiled reassuringly.

Fuuta did a happy dance. "Yes! I knew you'd be my best choice!"

Tsuna could guess why, but just to confirm his theory, he asked, "Why is that?"

"The Ranking Star told me that you are the least likely to turn a child down in need."

_Well, that wasn't the ranking I was expecting, but it's accurate._ Tsuna brushed off his hands and got up. "If you're going to be staying here, you'll need a room. Do you have anything on you?"

"Nope, just my Ranking Book."

_Poor child. To be chased down to be abused for power…_ "In that case, we'll have to go shopping for some clothes. Let's get you settled in first." Tsuna maintained a cheerful disposition in front of Fuuta, not wanting him to feel unwelcome. He didn't need that, especially after being on the run without help and finally finding asylum. "Now, let's see… We're actually quite full in the house and there's not much room left…" At Fuuta's crestfallen look, Tsuna hastily added, "…but rooming together is very fun, isn't it?"

Fuuta instantly perked up and nodded. "I wasn't able to do anything like that before, so I'm happy I can do it now."

Tsuna gave a strained smile.

* * *

Fuuta moved into Gokudera and Fran's room, which now held three futons and a desk. None of them wanted a bed because they either thought that having one would take up too much room or they preferred futons. When the futons were pulled out of the closet and arranged on the floor, there was only a small strip of unobstructed space to walk on. Then Fuuta put his futon on top of the desk. Problem solved. The height off the floor made it feel like a bed (which Fuuta liked) and the arrangement freed up more walking space.

When Tsuna walked into the room on the first night of Fuuta's stay in order to check that the room wasn't too cramped, he was unprepared to see the desk against the far wall fluffed up with a futon and for Fuuta to be peeking out of a pile of blankets on it. Gokudera's and Fran's futons each lined one of the walls on his left and right.

Fuuta grinned at him. "You're right, Tsuna-nii! This is very fun!" he exclaimed.

Tsuna chuckled. "Goodnight, you three." And he withdrew to go to his own bed.

* * *

There was no problem with the current housing arrangement for now (other than the odd agreement within the Gokudera-Fran-Fuuta room, but they were okay with it), but at the current rate of new tenants arriving, there would be at least one more by this time in two weeks. Then there _really_ wouldn't be any room and they'd either have to cram together even _more_ or spill into the living room. Maybe he really _should_ get a new house?

* * *

Natsu is an animal Tsuna made from Flames; he's not a spirit~ though I guess I could turn him into one. Somehow.

I'm not really describing canon events since, you know, you can watch/read it on your own from the anime/manga. I find it pointless to write it all.

Eh... not much happened. This chapter was supposed to have the Kokuyo event, but then I decided that I wanted to do it differently (which is why it's so short). Now I just have to decide how to go about it… Any suggestions? Shamal and Dino come in three or so chapters. That Varia chapter is getting farther away… Mu… I don't know if I'll be able to finish another chapter before the start of April.

I've not read 8059 extensively, so I don't know other people's portrayal of them all that much. I figure Gokudera would be tsundere (is tsundere a noun or an adjective? I'm going with adjective) and Yamamoto would be like a puppy vying for attention.

Thank you for being understanding (or uncaring) about my updates. Really busy right now. I sleep 4-6 hours on average currently. *dying in a corner* Help me. Also thanks for encouragement~

Posted: 3/20/15


	10. Chapter 10 (and Extra)

**Edit**: it's all up now, including the extra~ KeiGinya, NagiRokudo, thor94, and TripOverFlatSurfaces correctly guessed who the "guard dog" was even without my prompting. Good job~

* * *

Reborn had finally stopped disappearing for lengths at a time and hung around the house more. Whatever he had to do was done by then. As Reborn was more lax during the times he was gone, Fon had freer reign to commandeer training time. So as Tsuna's close-combat prowess increased, his education on the more intricate workings of the mafia stagnated. Since Tsuna was progressing well, Fon didn't feel bad about cutting down on his training and working on I-pin to give Reborn more time to catch Tsuna up. Not that Reborn needed Fon's permission to take more time. He would've done it even if Fon wasn't okay with it. Tsuna was Reborn's student _first_.

* * *

Tsuna was right in predicting new residents. And just a week after Fuuta, too.

The school day started off as it did normally. Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Fran took their seats in the back of the classroom while the rest of the class chattered about like squabbling birds at a feeder. The bell rang, yet no one bothered to quiet down until the teacher arrived ten minutes late. That was when normality began to deviate. Nezu was usually late by _five_ minutes.

Nezu took his spot in front of the board and coughed into his hand to clear his throat. With an air of importance, he announced, "Class, we have three new transfer students."

As soon as the word "transfer" was out of his mouth, the students burst into discussion, completely ignoring the teacher's useless attempts in regaining control of the class. More new students? They already got three within just two months. Well, it made sense that any transfers of their year would be placed into their class. Theirs started off with the smallest amount of students—probably because the administration knew that Nezu was a horrible teacher and wished to put as few students under his responsibility as possible. Other classes were maxed out already.

Giving up in quieting down his unruly class, he chose to pretend that he had and waved towards the door, signaling the waiting trio to enter. Curiosity piqued, the gossipers silenced themselves and avidly watched the opening door.

A pineapple entered.

Well, no, it wasn't a pineapple, but the boy's hairstyle certainly resembled one if the abnormal blue color was disregarded. A feral looking boy and a teen with a barcode on his cheek trailed after him.

Pleased with his perceived hold over the class, Nezu puffed up. "As I was saying, these are our new transfers." He gestured toward the class. "Introduce yourselves."

The boy who was probably the leader stepped up. "I am Rokudo Mukuro. These two are Chikusa Kakimoto and Joshima Ken." Then, wishing to demean the teacher, Mukuro smirked and said, "If you'd like to ask me anything, now's a good time."

The class exploded in overlapping questions, and Nezu was unsuccessful in trying to quiet them down again. Pleased with the chaos, Mukuro laughed. Fran turned an admiring eye toward him.

"Keh, these children are loud," Ken complained.

"You're the same age as them," Chikusa pointed out.

One girl's hand shot up. Everyone else stopped trying to shout over each other to listen to the girl who rarely spoke. Mukuro waved a hand in her direction, gesturing for her to speak. "Why Namimori? If you looked into the school even a little bit, you'd know that we have a demon residing here." The others nodded and murmured in agreement. "There's another school close by that's much more _tame_."

Mukuro smirked and sat at the teacher's desk, angering Nezu even further, although the teacher didn't act out in fear of making it obvious he couldn't rein in his class. The two other transfers followed and took posts on either side of him. "Oya? Yes, I know about the skylark. It'll be fun to play with him, no?" He received disbelieving stares. He laughed again. "Other than him, there's someone here that I'm interested in meeting. My associate told me he attends this school, and I have confirmed that. In fact, he's in this room right now."

Interested murmurs started up. Someone that he was interested in? But no one in the class was all that special, other than the Italian transfer and their school's best baseball player. However, Mukuro wasn't looking at either of them. Instead, he was looking at… Tsuna? Why?

Tsuna stood up slowly, gaining the riveted attention of his classmates (and the teacher). "The secret's out, I guess."

Many whispers arose from the simple statement. "Could it be...?"

"Mukuro is…"

"Another love affair. Squee~" Tsuna tried to ignore the star-struck girls excitedly swapping their attention between him and Mukuro.

"I'm sorry to have kept this secret for so long, but I didn't think it mattered so much," he continued.

More whispers ensued. "Why is Tsuna...?"

"I'm so right! I'm _so_ right!" And now the girls were hopping in place while hugging each other…

Tsuna pointed dramatically at a student who was trying to ignore the rest of the excited class by staring intently into a book. "Sasuke-kun is the heir to Uchiha Confectionaries!"

The girls sullenly sat back down. "Aw… Not right."

All of the other students shouted, "What?!"

Immediately, the students around the new target whipped out their phones and took several pictures of him. And the rumor mill got another boost… and the school newspaper journalists in the class were scribbling frantically into their hastily drawn notepads.

The broody student sharply put down his book and glared at him. "What? How dare you give away private information?"

Tsuna kept up his air of bravado, desperately trying to keep suspicions off of himself. "Admit it. You were just delaying the inevitable. You knew it would come out sooner or later."

"Why, you…" Sasuke stopped abruptly as a thought struck him. He laughed darkly. "Well, if you're releasing my secret, then I'll reveal one of yours."

Tsuna froze at that. _It can't be he knows that I'm..._

"Did you think I wouldn't notice? I work as an executive, as you may be aware."

The sound of writing increased at the admittance. Tsuna got more nervous.

"I know where our ingredients come from. And I know…"

_That I'm the heir of Vongola? No, a purely legal company wouldn't know that! Then he knows I'm the missing prince of Merith? Do our partners even know I'm gone?_ Tsuna, panicking, tried to go through all of the possibilities. _Does Uchiha Confectionaries extend into Australia? Does he know about the emus?!_

"…You're Vin Jameson, aren't you?! The head of Le Château Royal Wine Company!"

Absolute silence reigned for several moments.

_…Go with it._

Before anything further could be said, Mukuro cut into the rather dramatic conversation. "Kufufu… as entertaining as this is, I think the teacher is about to snap, and as interested as I am in the skylark, now's not a good time for me."

Indeed. Nezu was an unflattering shade of red and reaching toward the phone, probably to call in the Disciplinary Committee. Everyone quickly organized themselves into the perfect image of an ideal classroom. All except for the three transfers that still commandeered the teacher's desk.

Mukuro slowly stood up and walked to the back of the class, the two others dogging his heels. They claimed three empty seats and settled, willingly giving control back to Nezu, who calmed down with visible effort and resumed teaching, all the while attempting and failing to forget about the disastrous introduction. If he really _had_ resorted to calling in the Disciplinary Committee, he would've been bitten to death, too—for being an incompetent adult. Hibari didn't take too well for pretenders, so Nezu had to do his utmost best to keep up the illusion that he was an outstanding teacher in order to keep from being viciously bitten. (And of course, it never occurred to him that he could simply get a job at a school with a less intimidating disciplinary system.)

* * *

When the bell rang, the students streamed out of the room, still subdued from fear of Hibari. That didn't stop them from making and passing on rumors, though. The new gossips going around centered on Sasuke's revealed title as Uchiha heir ("_That_ Uchiha? So _that's_ why he's always so broody!") and another person interesting enough to garner three transfers into the class just to meet the person (but the name of the person was never revealed. Yet another mystery to dig into…).

Tsuna thought it was strange that no one thought it was odd that a thirteen-year-old was running a wine producing company. Actually, he never confirmed that, did he? In that case, he came out on top. He managed to avoid calling too much attention to himself _and_ he got a small measure of revenge on Sasuke.

A couple days ago, Sasuke stole a contract that Tsuna had negotiated for with a local juice producing factory for days and was close to securing. Tsuna would've been fine with that and graciously let it go, but Sasuke then sent a mocking letter addressed to Vin Jameson—the alias that Tsuna had negotiated as—for the _unfortunate_ conclusion of the contract and that Uchiha Confectionaries would benefit from its new partner and _thank you for your cooperation_. Jerk.

Today's incident just happened to work in Tsuna's favor. He smiled, satisfied. _Sasuke-kun is still a jerk, but… I guess I can pity him_, Tsuna decided as he watched as Sasuke was hounded by the school reporters and curious gossipers.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Tsuna and Gokudera watched Yamamoto practice baseball while Fran went off to do something else.

The first time he lost sight of Fran, Tsuna panicked and turned the school over to search for him. He was unable to find him after a full thirty minutes of searching and was about to summon Natsu to get more help when Fran suddenly appeared behind him and prompted him to scream in surprise. Once he had an eye on Fran again, Tsuna calmed down and did a thorough comb-over of the school to make sure there was no errant destruction—with Fran in tow. He did not any sign of mischief and took Fran home, relieved. He was late in making dinner. Tsuna should've checked the gym, where Fran had hauled in half a ton of dirt and planted an indoor garden of ivies along the walls.

After several more occurrences of Fran disappearing and Tsuna being unable to find proof of Fran messing with the school, Tsuna became accustomed to Fran going off on his own periodically. He no longer went into a frenzy to locate Fran. And of course, Fran played in areas of the school that Tsuna never thought to look. The cafeteria now had a painting of a fiery lion that spanned the entire length of the floor, the principal's office had a section of the ceiling that Fran controlled with Mist Flames to make illusionary snakes drop down and cause a scare once in a while, and several other places of the school were altered, all for Fran's momentary amusement. Then he got bored and played around some more.

Today, Fran sought out the pineapple transfer. He sensed Mist Flames in him. Maybe he could teach him more tricks. Snakes got boring after a while and the fairy prince's tutor was disappointingly deficient in Mist Flame knowledge—at least about teaching how to harness it.

* * *

Mukuro found Fran first. He and his two lackeys approached Fran from behind while the green-haired boy was digging around in the flowerbeds. "Kufufu. Found you."

Fran looked up and saw the person he was searching for. He got up from his crouched position and dusted off his dirt-covered knees. "Found you, too. I thought I'd have to find some pineapples to lure you out, which is harder than I thought it would be."

"Why pineapples?" Mukuro muttered. Louder, he said, "Pineapples don't grow here. It's much too cold for a tropical plant."

Fran made an "oh" motion. "Ah, right. This isn't Merith. I thought that since you like pineapples so much, you'd come if I had some."

Mukuro tilted his head quizzically. "What makes you think I like pineapples?"

Fran pointed up to his head. Mukuro immediately caught on to the implied statement.

Mukuro chuckled. "My hair does not resemble a pineapple, little boy."

Fran simply hummed and continued dusting himself off. He'd definitely have to take a shower once he got home. "Aren't you the same age as me?"

"No. I'm fifteen, and from what I know, your class should be around fourteen."

"Why are you in a class a year younger than you? Were you held back?" Fran asked bluntly.

Mukuro sniffed, offended. "No. I'm here for business, not for school. What does it matter if I'm in the right year for my age if I'm going to leave in a couple of days?"

"Going where?"

"That's why I was looking for you—well, one of you. Take me to Sawada Tsunayoshi."

* * *

When Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto left the baseball field to track down Fran and head home, they spotted him not far from the outside fence with the new transfers. Confused with the situation, Tsuna approached the small group. "Hey, Fran, made some new friends?"

"Not really. The pineapple is very violent. Ah." A trident that materialized from nowhere was stabbed into Fran's back. Tsuna was just barely able to stop himself from screaming because he didn't see any blood and Fran appeared to be fine. "Would you mind taking that out? It hurts very much," Fran monotonously complained. More than fine.

Mukuro acquiesced after digging the prongs in an inch deeper. The trident dissolved once it was withdrawn. Now with both hands free, Mukuro bent into a bow and greeted, "Hello, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Or should I call you Tsunayoshi la Alsveith?"

By then, Gokudera and Yamamoto had taken stands next to Tsuna. Gokudera immediately got into attack mode when he heard the transfer utter the prince's name. "Please stand back, Tsuna-sama!"

Yamamoto just laughed, uncomprehending of the situation. "What is this? A new game?"

While Gokudera growled at Yamamoto in the background, Tsuna ran through possibilities in his head. His mother may have sent another person for him to look after like she did with Fran, but Mukuro seemed a bit more _volatile,_ and she wouldn't push any real danger onto him. Then Mukuro found out who he was on his own. But how? He was broken out of his thoughts when Mukuro walked closer to him, leaned in, and whispered in his ear, lips barely brushing against his cheek. "I seek political asylum."

Gokudera stopped growling. Sensing that the topic was much more complex than first perceived, Tsuna motioned for the entire group to follow him home. He was definitely not blushing from the close contact just seconds before. Not at all.

* * *

They all trailed after him like ducklings after their mother. Tsuna was leading as the mother duck. Gokudera was next, walking while having a small squabble with Yamamoto behind him. Mukuro strolled after Yamamoto, with Ken and Chikusa in line after him. Chikusa kept Ken on a tight watch, making sure the dog-like boy didn't go chasing after that cat, or that squirrel, or that car… Fran was at the very end, watching the individual interactions and making illusions for the dog-boy to chase without being noticed by Chikusa.

Tsuna went through his customary guest setting, steeping fresh tea and pulling out small snacks to place decoratively on a tray. "Here," he said as he put the tray onto the coffee table.

"Thank you," everyone murmured as they each claimed a teacup and a small plate of cookies.

"Thanks, Tsuna-nii!" Fuuta smiled at Tsuna as he was handed a plate with an extra cream biscuit.

"You're welcome," Tsuna replied in general. He ruffled Fuuta's head as he walked by on his way upstairs, probably to make more rankings. Tsuna had no idea how such a huge book fit in Fuuta's jacket. He didn't question it. Some things were better left alone.

Natsu loped up the stairs and followed Fuuta, probably hoping to steal a cookie. Tsuna wouldn't give him any, thinking that they might affect his Flame body negatively. But Fuuta had been sneaking him some of his delicious snacks for a while now, and nothing bad has happened yet.

As the head of the group, Tsuna started the conversation. "So, Mukuro, why did you need to meet with me? You seek political asylum for yourself and your associates, is that it?" It seems that such meetings were common to him. First Fran, then Fuuta, and now Mukuro. He'd put the issue of how he'd known his hidden identity aside for now.

"Kufufu…" Mukuro nodded.

"Yes, but why? I'd like to know what types of people seek a haven in my kingdom."

The mood turned noticeably dark. "Our family was not… very _kind_ to us. So I… acted out."

Tsuna sighed. "If this is teenage rebellion—"

"It's not! It's much more than that. We—" Mukuro stopped, hesitating, but continued, "—we're from a mafia Famiglia."

For the next hour, Mukuro explained his unfortunate circumstances—from the time he spent as an imprisoned experiment starting in his early childhood, to making an escape and killing all of the so-called scientists that tortured him for years, to being captured by the Vindice and escaping, to catching rumors of the prince of Merith in Japan (yet another thing that would never be traced back to Fran), and hoping the remoteness and defensiveness of Merith would keep away the enemies he made while escaping. "And then I will crush the maf—"

What Mukuro was about to say next was cut off as a pit of black spontaneously rent the air. Three heavily bandaged people stepped out of the swirling portal, wielding heavy chains. Mukuro, Ken, and Chikusa froze at the sudden appearance of the unidentified figures. Ken whined anxiously. In unison, the three people raised their chains and threw them at the escapees. The collars attached to the ends wrapped around their throats too tightly, cutting off a consistent stream of air and reducing them to choked gasps. The chains were yanked, pulling them off their feet and making breathing harder. So these were the Vindice, and they'd take the escapees back to Vendicare…

Tsuna could glimpse a glimmer of hopelessness and resignation in Mukuro's eyes. Because of it, he made a decision that changed his fate.

"You can't take him," Tsuna boldly stated. "I am Tsunayoshi Sawada, the to-be Tenth Vongola Boss. He's my Mist Guardian."

A shocked silence overtook the broken room. Mukuro was surprised as well. He'd know that Tsuna was Merith's prince, but he wasn't aware of Tsuna's status as Vongola heir. This might cut into his plan of revenge against the entire mafia world.

Gokudera looked ready to object and speak out, but Reborn stopped him. He wanted to see how this would turn out. Best case scenario, Mukuro really does become the Mist Guardian. The worst, Mukuro is taken away.

The Vindice guard holding Mukuro's chain turned back to Tsuna. "Is that so? Regardless, he broke the rules of the Vindice. It is not so easily excused. We do not care if you are down one Guardian. Find another if you must. It has been done before." After all, the only irreplaceable position was the Sky. It would be hard to find a suitable replacement for a Mist so skilled, but it was not an impossible task.

_This feels like a court hearing. In that case…_ "He pleads insanity," Tsuna replied.

Mukuro was stunned at what the small thirteen-year old was saying. "What—?

Tsuna cut in over Mukuro's exclamation. "I'll take responsibility and keep watch over him."

"I'm not—" Mukuro was interrupted again.

"Yes you are. Shut up," he told Mukuro. Tsuna turned back to the Vindice. "It's the Estraneo's fault he became like this," he unflinchingly blamed. "If they were not allowed to experiment on easily-influenced children, Mukuro would never have gone insane and the massacre would never have happened. You are supposed to stop heinous crimes from happening within the mafia, yes? Then where were you?"

The shadowy guards were still. He had a point. The Estraneo situation and the resulting Lancia mess were on their heads if the Mist boy really had gone insane from the unauthorized experiments that _they should've taken care of_. The leader spoke up. "Fine. Keep him on a leash and prevent it from happening again. There will be _no_ second chances." Hopefully he made the right call or else Bermuda would be inconsolably furious.

"Can you release those two as well? They were with him," Tsuna added on hopefully.

The Vindice growled. "Don't push us too far." Regardless, all three chains were withdrawn. Ken lied on his back, panting heavily for breath. Chikusa had a little more composure. Mukuro got up once he felt his lungs were not attempting to collapse. The three shadowy figures of the Vindice phased away through the disappearing portal without another word exchanged, taking the oppressing air with them.

The remaining people stayed still for several minutes, letting their minds catch up with what just occurred. Once Tsuna's heart stopped trying to beat itself to death, he stood up and helped the now ex-convicts onto the couch. He got them each a glass of water, putting away the tea tray while he did so.

Tsuna sighed from exhaustion and belated relief. "So, it looks like you're staying with us," he concluded.

* * *

Tsuna intended to keep his promise to the Vindice—there was no way he wanted to risk another visit—so he wanted Mukuro to stay close to him, but his room was already quite full.

"I feel like our house is a hotel," Tsuna commented as he tried to figure out the problem. There was no room left. "Ah, this is hard."

"Unless you want to sleep in the living room, there's no way to fit in three more people," Reborn told him.

"Then what do I do? Hm… I should've bought another house," Tsuna lamented.

"I have that taken care of."

Tsuna perked up. "Really?"

Reborn nodded, letting his fedora fall over his eyes to cover their laughing depths. "Yes. You also won't have to worry about being seen when training. The new house has a vicious guard dog that lives nearby. He's very territorial. He'll keep people away from the area."

* * *

Apparently, Reborn had commissioned the building of a house weeks before Mukuro had arrived. Reborn somehow cut the entire construction period by more than half the time it should've taken and it was all framed, built, and polished off within two weeks. The whole group was going to see it right now, walking the entire distance. It was on the outskirts of Namimori so that there was a lot of space and a smaller chance of people coming close. Reborn's alleged guard dog should help with that, too.

Tsuna led the group with Reborn sitting in his arms and telling him in which direction to go. "You must be rich, huh, Reborn? You didn't care about spending all that money on building a house, and on such short notice, too," he said.

Reborn pointed to the left, and the group turned in unison like a school of fish. "Yes, I am rich. No, it's not from _my_ wallet. Why would I spend that much money on something not for me?"

Tsuna blinked. "Eh? Then where'd you get the money from?"

Reborn smirked. "You need to be more vigilant with your bank accounts. What if someone steals from them?"

Ah… so it was _his_ money. Reasonably it was only right since it was for his benefit. Still, Tsuna couldn't help but talk back. "Like you did?" A green gun was shoved into his face. "I didn't say anything," he rescinded.

Leon transformed back and stole a cookie from Reborn's snack bag. Natsu, walking on Tsuna's left, attempted to jump up and snatch one, but he awkwardly stumbled while making his jump, missing his mark widely. Reborn turned his attention back to Tsuna. "As I was saying, you need to be careful with who has access to your money."

"But I didn't give you access…" Tsuna muttered moodily.

Reborn ran right over Tsuna's petty complaint. "And make sure there are no discrepancies. Haven't you audited before?"

Natsu positioned himself to jump again but aborted the motion when Reborn threw him a small biscuit when Tsuna wasn't looking. "Gao~" he purred contently.

* * *

The house… was not a house. It was a mansion. _That definitely cost a lot of money_, Tsuna thought to himself. It was much larger than the average two-story houses that made up Namimori's residential district and definitely had enough room to house the group and many others that may end up coming in the future. But…

"Reborn…" Tsuna sighed, exasperated. "That's not a guard dog."

Hibari stood in front, glaring at the mansion that had popped up within a matter of weeks. He was unable to deal with it until now because whenever he attempted to approach the developing structure, some issue in Namimori would come up. (Reborn had worked tirelessly to keep the destructive teen away. He'd enjoyed causing havoc to draw Hibari from his goal, and Fran had occasionally joined in.) He slid his glare to the new inhabitants, spotting the lynx kit from earlier.

The baby carnivore was interesting, but not yet a threat to him. He'd seen the little lynx playing with strange orange fire while he was on patrols. The lynx shaped the abnormal flames into animals and made delightful destruction—within bounds, of course. Hibari would be angry should Namimori be damaged by careless play. The residents of Namimori were admittedly abnormally obtuse or oblivious, but there was no way Hibari would overlook the kit and ignore a possible budding challenge. Perhaps he'd roughhouse with the lynx and help him grow up…

"Close enough." Reborn shrugged. Hibari was actually _better_ than a guard dog. He _guaranteed_ there would be no trespassers. The glint in Hibari's eyes caught Reborn's attention, but he chose not to comment on it. It's Tsuna's fault if he did not pick up on potential dangers in his surroundings. They had that lesson in Australia already.

* * *

Tsuna prevented Hibari from destroying the mansion by inviting him in. Then Hibari said he'd take a room, too. Tsuna didn't know why he'd want one considering he lived pretty much _right next door_, but he didn't ask. (Hibari wanted to stay close to the lynx kit. That pineapple herbivore made his instincts ring, warning of danger.) So before doing anything else, they went into the innermost corridor of bedrooms. For some reason, no one else made a motion to claim one before Tsuna did. But once Tsuna announced his decision, there was a sudden rush to take the room next to his; Tsuna was at the start of the corridor, where there was only one room next to the one he chose.

Four people collided as they tried to get to the door first. Each was pushed back a couple of feet from the impact. Hibari drew his tonfas, Mukuro materialized his trident, Gokudera reached into his jacket for a bomb ("But we're indoors! That's dangerous!" Tsuna protested), and Fran slipped to the back to strike sneakily from behind. A fight was about to break out; Tsuna could tell. And it did. Hibari flashed forward, aiming to hit Mukuro. That first movement prompted the others to jump into action. A shouting contest ensued as well. Then, for a reason that Tsuna completely missed, Fran leapt out of the scuffle. "You can't touch him," Fran announced as he wrapped his arms around Tsuna's shoulders and drew him close, completely ignoring Tsuna's attempts to get away. "He's _my_ toy."

Hibari raised his tonfas. "He is a small animal under _my_ protection." And a potential… well, Hibari didn't know what the lynx would grow to be, but he did manage to garner his attention while he was still a kit. He'd be even more fascinating once fully matured. Hibari would be patient and wait… or take action and hasten his growth. Either way, the lynx was _his_.

Mukuro laughed and swished his trident, aiming the three tines at Hibari. "What are you two talking about? He's _my_ doll." No way was he going to risk losing his guaranteed freedom. And Tsunayoshi was too cute to lose to that barbarian, enamored puppy, or blasé child anyways.

"Tsuna-sama!" Gokudera shouted out.

And all Tsuna could do while the fight bubbled, broke out, and escalated was helplessly stay under Fran's hold as he deflected violent illusions and brute force with his own retaliating Mist creations.

* * *

In the end, Reborn solved the problem by stepping in and leading Tsuna to the master bedroom designed for him in the middle of the corridor. Mukuro and Hibari took the rooms next to Tsuna and Gokudera was right across. Yamamoto predictably claimed a room next to Gokudera's. Fran's was across from Mukuro's and next to Gokudera's, diagonally across from Tsuna's. Ken and Chikusa roomed next to each other on Mukuro's other side.

Tsuna was rather surprised by this arrangement. He'd thought that they'd try to get as far away from each other since they didn't seem to get along very well. Instead, they contradicted his prediction and congregated together. Maybe he was wrong in his evaluation?

As Tsuna puzzled this out, Hibari, Mukuro, and Gokudera glared at each other behind Tsuna's back. Fran went off to wreak more havoc.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent moving personal belongings to the mansion. They left the furniture since Fon, I-pin, and Bianchi were staying in the first house. While moving the boxes, Ryohei showed up—he was on his afternoon run—and offered to help, which Tsuna accepted gratefully. When all of the things were moved and put away, Ryohei ran back home, where Kyoko was waiting with dinner set up.

Once everyone was settled in and had dinner, Tsuna retired to his room to take a shower. His muscles ached from going across town so many times in a row. He locked the door and picked out pajamas. He entered the bathroom attached to his bedroom and finally settled into his shower routine.

* * *

Hibari was the alpha, because he was undeniably the strongest person of Namimori. And as the alpha, he had to take care of those in his pack, which included the baby lynx. He remembered that the small boy was always picked on when he was much younger, and one day he suddenly disappeared. He was back now, though, and Hibari had to make sure he wouldn't leave again, or he'd be seen by others to be a bad alpha.

Kits need help washing their fur. The lynx was still a kit, so he needed someone to take care of him. Hibari could do that.

* * *

A few minutes later, Tsuna startled as his bathroom door was abruptly opened and Hibari entered. He flushed red as Hibari looked at him through the opaque shower curtain, naked under the spray of the shower. _How'd he get in? I'm pretty sure I locked my bedroom door…_

Outside, the aforementioned door hung precariously on broken hinges.

"Hibari-san, what are you doing here?" he asked nervously.

The intimidating prefect put down the bundle in his arms onto the counter, revealing a towel and a change of clothes. "Shower," he said succinctly.

"But Hibari-san, you have a bathroom connected to your room…" Tsuna pointed out.

"It's broken."

The bathroom in Hibari's room was indeed broken—with a suspicious dent in the bathtub spout and cracks all over the tub itself.

"But we just moved in. How is it broken already?" When Hibari didn't respond, he sighed, "Fine, fine…" He didn't ask why Hibari simply didn't use one of the unclaimed room's bathrooms. Maybe this was a Japanese bonding custom he never learned?

* * *

Ah, the door was already broken down. The trident that was about to be used to cut the door dissolved in wavering Flames. That meant the skylark got there first.

Oh well. The door was (smashed) open, and that meant he was welcome to go in.

* * *

Right after Hibari entered the shower, Mukuro entered the bathroom, the same as Hibari had just minutes earlier. The trio stared at each other, Hibari and Tsuna standing under the spray and Mukuro standing at the door.

"Mukuro, what are you doing here?" Tsuna asked. Wow, this was… awkward. And compromising, now that he thought about it.

Hibari glared at the intruder, speaking with his eyes. _I claimed him first. Go away._

Mukuro ignored the silent warning and chuckled, putting down his own paraphernalia next to Tsuna's clothes. "Taking a shower. Mine's broken."

Mukuro's bathroom had slashes that cut open pipes and allowed a steady stream of water to flow out. Fran, who Mukuro had assigned to make illusory stand-in pipes to limit the wasted water until the pipes could be fixed (because Mukuro admittedly _had_ gone a _little_ wild with the destruction and he knew that dear Tsunayoshi would not approve of wasting that much water), simply shook his head and muttered, "Predictable pineapple."

Luckily, Tsuna's bathroom was large—at Reborn's insistence that the mafia boss must have the absolute best.

Shrugging, because this situation definitely could not get worse [unless Gokudera insisted he shower with Tsuna, too. But he was preoccupied in his own bathroom with Yamamoto ("My shower's broken! Hahaha!")], Tsuna allowed Mukuro admittance. He turned away from the two tomcats hissing at each other. And so the rivalry begins…

"Oops, dropped the soap." The two competing males immediately stopped displaying their dominance and turned their heads in Tsuna's direction—and flushed a bright red.

* * *

"How is it that four bathrooms are ruined already?" Reborn asked in a quiet voice. Tsuna shuddered. It was scarier than when Reborn was directly aiming a gun at him. At least then he could see the threat.

"Well, I don't know how Yamamoto-kun's bathroom broke. Or Hibari-san's and Mukuro's, for that matter," he added on. "Mine broke when Hibari-san and Mukuro started fighting in it." He'd had to finish his shower in one of the empty rooms, giving Gokudera an eyeful as he rushed to get in the shower and minimize the drips all over the floor. Later, Yamamoto found Gokudera "sleeping" on the floor and carried him to his bed.

Reborn hummed in thought. "Why were they in your bathroom?"

"Um…" Tsuna blushed. Why _had_ he let them stay?

Now amused, Reborn's silently threatening aura dissipated. "Is _that_ it? It's to be expected, I guess. Teenagers," Reborn muttered and shook his head. "You're still paying the bill for repairs."

* * *

"Hitsugaya is expected to arrive in Namimori in a few days," Reborn casually informed Tsuna. "He's been in Japan since last week."

Tsuna spluttered. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"And what would you have done?"

"I—I would've—" Tsuna stuttered, unable to think of a viable option on the spot.

"You have no plan. I gave you several weeks' notice and you still don't know what to do." Reborn smacked Tsuna's head with a Leon-fan. "Bad boy."

"Hey!" Tsuna rubbed his head. It hadn't hurt that much, actually. "Then do _you_ have a plan?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

When Reborn didn't elaborate, Tsuna prompted, "Well?"

"What? You expect me to tell you? Hmph. You're going to have to wait like everyone else."

"Everyone else? Like Gokudera-kun?"

Reborn smirked disturbingly, sending chills down Tsuna's spine. "Yes…"

Tsuna had a feeling it would involve more than the usual group.

* * *

At this point, neither Hibari nor Mukuro have any romantic inclinations toward Tsuna. It's more of a feeling of competitiveness against each other to get Tsuna's attention, safety (from the Vindice) for Mukuro, and duty to protect for Hibari. But I wonder what Gokudera and Yamamoto were doing in their shower... Seriously, I don't know.

Happy(?) April Fool's (because generally everyone expects something on April 1st and not a couple days before it). **I cut the chapter short (by about 2k words).** I originally planned to use really bad grammar (but that would hurt me more than you), and then I changed my mind and thought I'd post the first chapter of a new story (but then I'd feel obligated to update that), and finally decided on posting just a shard of the actual chapter (the larger part, though). I hope I made you all sufficiently irritated. The rest will be posted on actual April Fool's Day. Or maybe tomorrow. Or when my sister finally updates one of her stories… Don't be so suspicious. Also, there is vague BL in the next part. And probably an extra (requested by Amaya Ishimoto) about 1k words long.

Uh… Itachi? He… betrayed the Uchiha family business… and… joined the rival Akatsuki Sweets Corporation.

I think I made Tsuna just a little too selfish. He's quite willing to throw his classmates under the bus to get himself and his friends out of trouble. But then again, he has no attachments to them—if anything, he'd have a grudge against them for his early miserable childhood.

In other news, my hair has gotten too long and the dogs keep sitting on it. Very painful.  
To hellzboy: I can sit in 90 degree (Fahrenheit) weather and be perfectly fine while everyone else complains. The heat never bothered me— …Curse you, _Frozen_. Reversely, I hate the cold (and air conditioners). I would like to have my hair cut, but my mom would cut it too short (that's happened too many times for me to risk again), my sisters are unwilling to do it for me, going to the barber sounds ridiculous (really, $20 for a haircut? I'm not well off enough to spend money like that), and I don't trust myself to do it well (I might as well learn to, though). You're right that Ciel and Sebastian are coming up soon (probably next chapter or the one after), but not in the way you think~ Those rumors were circulating in certain parts of the world, not necessarily where Ciel went.

To Madam Bakunawa: Chrome is still going to come, just not canonically. Don't worry~ I haven't forgotten her. I already have plans set. Vague clue that you probably won't get: I like an idealistic world.

Posted: 3/23/15

Reposted: 4/1/15

* * *

**Extra chapter: Ichigo, Ciel, and the Dead Man**

**(Warning: _slightly_ gory, if it can be called that)**

By request of **Amaya Ishimoto**

Ichigo ran, tired from continuous minutes of physical exertion. Tsuna had disappeared—_again—_while under the watch of a full circle of castle guards. He'd tell his dad they were incompetent and needed more training. But for now… WHERE IN MERITH WAS TSUNA?!

He reached for his sword, which had Zangetsu's soul stone embedded in it. He drew a small measure of Zangetsu's power to enhance his senses. He couldn't use all of it since Zangetsu was not… _normal_ and so Ichigo couldn't control all of his power without his mind breaking apart.

There! Ichigo caught a whiff of Tsuna's sweet scent and followed it to the emptier part of the village. He didn't lose the trail even once as he tracked it. After carefully but hurriedly nosing around, he finally spotted Tsuna. But something was wrong. An obviously drunken man was approaching Tsuna.

"Hey, kid, wanna make some money?" he heard the man say.

Tsuna looked adorably confused. "Money?"

Oh, no way in _Hell _this was happening. Not now, or ever if he could help it. Ichigo rushed forward.

"—boy, and it ain't hard either. Just come here and take off—" The man stopped his lewd suggestion abruptly when Ichigo smashed his foot into his shin harshly, the sickening snap making it obvious there was a break. The man screamed and bent down to clutch his broken leg, at which point Ichigo drew up his knee and broke his nose as well. A couple more well-placed hits knocked the man out short-term, enough for the molester to stay under until Ichigo could get officers to take him.

He then gathered Tsuna up in his arms, making sure he wouldn't disappear again. He held him, scolding him all the while, the entire way back to the castle, where he raised the alarm once Tsuna was safely in his room and under a battalion of guards.

* * *

"Come, Sebastian."

"Yes, my lord."

The drunk man woke up, groggy and with a severe headache. His body was sore all over from the hits by that little orange-haired delinquent. He'd report him for attacking an upstanding citizen—as soon as he could stand up. He groaned in pain as sharp throbbing crippled his leg. Ah, that's right. His leg was broken.

Raising his head a bit more, he caught sight of two approaching people. One was smaller than the other, but both wore clean, neatly pressed clothes. The taller one was walking behind the shorter boy. _He must be a servant. Then that one is a noble? How rare to see one here._

"It took you a while to wake up, longer than I thought it'd take. The junior guard is still inexperienced, but I guess I shouldn't underestimate him," the boy casually said to him.

"I heard he's being considered to be the prince's personal guard," the tall man commented.

"That too," the boy agreed.

"Excuse me, but can you be decent people and _help me?_ I'm right in front of you!" the still mildly drunk man demanded.

The boy turned a coldly glinting blue eye at him. "Ah, yes, about that…" The alley seemed to get darker all of a sudden. "You won't be needing help. Not now, not anymore. Sebastian."

"Right away, my lord," the dark-haired man cheerily said as he bowed to the boy. He reached into his coat and withdrew… cutlery knives? What for? "If you still haven't caught on to the situation," he spoke happily as he slowly walked closer and closer, "you're not leaving this alley alive." And he swung a hand, releasing three silver knives. They sliced quickly through the air and embedded themselves into the flesh of the prostrate man.

The man screamed. He was definitely sober now. Adrenaline flooded his veins, trying to provide enough stimulation to get him to run to safety. Unfortunately for him, that was impossible. Two more knives were thrown. They pinned his feet into the concrete floor, preventing escape. "Now…" The butler's eyes glowed red eerily. "Why don't we have some fun?"

That empty alley was working against his favor now, as no one was around to save him from being repetitively stabbed and cut.

"You may stop," Ciel told Sebastian, and the butler stood back. He looked over the numerous cuts appreciatively. "Good work."

"Thank you." Sebastian walked toward the bleeding man, careful not to get any of the dirty blood on his shoes. He ripped out the knives from the man's body and wiped them off on the drier parts of his clothes. Once they were more or less clean—although he'd certainly polish them once they got back to the castle—he stored them in his inner pockets.

"P-please… help…" the dying man gasped out.

"Oh? Still alive? Too bad for you. Mercy will come… in approximately seven minutes," Ciel told him. And for those seven minutes, Ciel and Sebastian watched the man bleed out. His futile attempts to stem the flow of life out of his body did not help except to extend his suffering by a few more seconds. When the man finally died, Ciel raised a hand in mock surprise. "Dear lord, it's a dead body," he said in a shocked tone as if he'd just stumbled upon it. He took a step closer, pretending to look more closely at the cadaver's face. "And wait a minute, isn't this the rapist we were investigating and looking for?"

"Yes indeed," Sebastian amusedly indulged his master.

Ciel turned away, dismissing the corpse disinterestedly. "He must've angered the wrong person. How unfortunate for him." The young noble shook his head in false pity. "Well, there's nothing that can be done now. We'll report this to the king. Case closed."

With one final glare that belied the pretension, the duo walked away, slipping out of sight as the first of the officers Ichigo called arrived on the scene.


	11. Chapter 11

On Sunday morning, well past breakfast time, Tsuna practiced his voice control again. He didn't have any human volunteers at the moment, so until he could find some, he figured he could learn to coordinate with the local birds. He'd learn human persuasion later.

Settled comfortably on a tree in the expansive backyard, Tsuna whistled highly, calling forth a small flock of birds that fluttered onto nearby branches. Most were common sparrows that flitted about. A couple of crows sat together, shuffling their wings to sit properly. What seemed like someone's escaped cockatoo preened in a branch overhead. And… a tiny yellow fluffball of a canary landed directly on Tsuna's soft brown hair. He giggled.

"Hello there," he greeted the cute bird. The bird tweeted back. He laughed happily again.

* * *

Hibari watched the lynx kit interact and play with the birds. He had a certain power over them, it appeared. The sparrows preened and plucked loose feathers and set them aside Tsuna. The two crows flew back and forth, gathering smooth sticks and constructing a miniature nest out of them. The cockatoo (which Hibari had _liberated_ from its abusive owner a few days earlier) arranged the feathers neatly within to give it a soft padding. Once the nest was done, the kit stopped his whistling song and thanked the birds, which then sang back and flew away. The lynx carefully gathered the small nest in his hands and lifted it up to his head. The little canary that looked quite comfortable on the soft hair reluctantly left its perch and scooted onto the patiently waiting nest. It settled itself into it and chirruped. Hibari considered the picture they made. How cute.

* * *

Tsuna nudged the nest into a secure corner in a nook between branches and hopped out of the tree. The canary chirped and peeked over the nest, wondering where he was going. Tsuna smiled and waved goodbye to the bird as he entered the mansion.

Tsuna was content with the results of this morning. He was able to string commands much more smoothly now. His notes and songs flowed better than they had when he experimented with the emus. And it seemed that most sounds corresponded to more than one species of birds. He'd have to discover all of those to have a more general control. He wondered if birds and humans corresponded as well. That would make things much easier for him.

* * *

That wasn't the last of the canary. Lunch that day included the introduction of a new official member of the household.

"Hibird," Hibari simply said when Tsuna quizzically looked at the familiar canary perched on the prefect's shoulder. The newly named Hibird was happily nuzzling into his cheek. Tsuna thought they looked cute together.

Mukuro hummed thoughtfully. "You know, that bird reminds me of something…" He rummaged through his memories for a few minutes more. Then he sighed. "I forgot." He shrugged. "Can't remember. Oh well." He dropped the matter and went back to sipping his tea.

In Italy, M.M., Birds, and the Bloody Twins covertly performed small scale robberies while keeping their heads low. "I can't believe Mukuro-sama left us behind. Maybe he means to come back?" M.M. considered. She flipped through her stack of cash for the fourth time. Their latest run was very successful, much like the ones before it, and she had ample money to spend as she wished. "I guess it doesn't matter when he does."

Birds stopped digging around in the kitchen of the hotel they were staying at. "Have any of you seen my bird?" he asked.

Was the man going senile? Actually, the answer was most likely yes. M.M. pointed up. "It's right there."

Birds looked in that direction. A bird twittered from the top of the bookshelf. He shook his head. "No, not that one."

M.M. shifted her finger two inches to the left. "That one?"

Another yellow bird cheeped on the windowsill. "Not that one either."

M.M. sighed, frustrated. "You have hundreds of birds! How can you even tell which one's which?"

"Of course I would know them all! I trained each one individually! Do you _know_ how long it took?"

"How would _I_ know? They're just stupid birds!" she shouted back.

They continued to squabble, the missing bird now entirely forgotten.

* * *

The next morning, Hibird started his career as school mascot. Hibari got weird stares from students wondering why such an adorable creature would stay around such a demonic person, but no one commented out loud—until Hibari was out of range. Then the whispers exploded.

Eventually, the whispers died down as the novelty and shock at seeing Hibari with something cute wore off. No one dared to hinder Hibird's flight as they correctly assumed that to do so would bring violent consequences.

Occasionally, Hibird would fly in through the classroom window and claim his spot on Tsuna's head. This also served to stake Hibari's claim on Tsuna, putting him under no uncertain protection. Tsuna's teachers chose to ignore this small abnormality, but Tsuna's classmates made conjectures on the gesture extended by Hibari.

So word got around that Tsuna had hired Hibari as his personal bodyguard and that Hibird was actually a trained surveillance animal assigned to watch over him. This rumor served to make students instantly behave whenever Hibird flitted through, and Tsuna encountered even less skirmishes at school (Fran still got people angry with callous comments, and Tsuna had to step in). Hibari allowed that particular rumor to flourish unrestrained. It worked to his advantage in keeping order, although he didn't like that he was given the title of bodyguard. H preferred "guardian"; it sounded less as if he was a subordinate. Nevertheless, he performed as his perceived position proclaimed. He dutifully watched over the little lynx and demonstratively disciplined anyone who appeared to be sparking trouble.

Hibird's first arrival at the school marked the beginning of an even stricter regime than there had been at the beginning of the year. Tsuna stayed unaware of the meaning of the tiny yellow bird. Gokudera grudgingly approved of Hibari's actions.

* * *

Mukuro stayed in Tsuna's class for numerous reasons. One: it annoyed the skylark. Two: dear Tsunayoshi was in it. Three: it was fun to mess with that particular teacher.

Mukuro silently laughed as Nezu looked for the disappeared sticks of chalk, which were hidden under a layer of Mist Flames. Fran observed it all with a keen eye, taking quiet entertainment in the spectacle.

* * *

Today started with an ominous warning from Fuuta. "Today will be the fifth most stressful day of Tsuna-nii's life."

Wasn't that just _pleasant_? So Tsuna was understandably jumpy about leaving the house. He stood tentatively at the doorstep, trying to get himself to walk out of the gates and on the path to school. As the mansion was on the outskirts of the town, there was more walking distance to cover than from the first house. Hibari had gone ahead to oversee the students' entrance into the school. Gokudera, Fran, Mukuro, Ken, and Chikusa were outside, waiting for him at the gates. Tsuna didn't want to make them wait any longer, but Fuuta said today wouldn't be a good day, and he didn't know how to deal with that—

Eventually, Reborn kicked the back of Tsuna's knee, making him fall forward, and shut the door so that he couldn't get back in. Resigned, Tsuna started walking.

Yamamoto met up with them on the way, so Tsuna cheered up a bit and tried to put the bad premonition out of mind. Maybe it was one of those self-fulfilling prophecies, and if he didn't act any differently then it wouldn't go into motion.

He should've known not to be so hopeful with Reborn around.

* * *

Tsuna hesitantly watched the class, which was in an uproar from an announcement made just minutes ago. Reborn was in the classroom under the guise of an old woman. A very _short_ old woman. And he was the one to cause the cacophony. When Reborn left the front of the room to go to Tsuna's corner, Tsuna leaned down and said, "Reborn… I know you said 'plan I' might be needed, but…"

A girl excitedly squealed to her friend, "Oh my gosh! I'm so excited that I can finally see Venice! Maybe I can find myself a nice boyfriend."

"Lucky! My older brother never did this in _his_ year." The boy high-fived another boy in good spirits.

"…is it really necessary to take the whole class?" Tsuna finished.

Reborn jumped up onto Tsuna's desk and smacked his head with his Leon-fan. "Of course it's necessary. Hitsugaya will probably be here in about three days, two if there are no incidents. We need to hide you far away from here until he leaves."

Tsuna rubbed the light red spot on his forehead. "And why exactly is the whole class coming?" This wouldn't end well for him, he could tell. A feeling writhed in his mind, telling him that something bad would happen while on the trip. Yet another stress to deal with. Joy.

Reborn tutted as if questioning Tsuna's intelligence. "Think deeply. One student suddenly takes a trip out of the country or a class takes a fieldtrip. Which one arouses less suspicion?"

Tsuna twirled a pencil around his fingers in boredom while observing the other students enthusiastically talking about the trip. "I could understand if it was a museum or an art gallery out of town, but an overseas fieldtrip? Isn't that suspicious on its own? What school has the money to fund a whole class for all that?" he asked reasonably.

Reborn replied smugly, "One that has received an anonymous donation from a rich company head."

Tsuna looked up with surprise. "You know someone that high up here, Reborn?"

The baby scoffed. "Of course I do. I have connections everywhere."

"Really? Who is it?" Reborn looked pointedly at him. Oh. "You accessed my bank account again?!"

Reborn shrugged. "I did tell you to be careful with your bank accounts."

Tsuna spluttered. "But there haven't been any withdrawals recently! I checked!"

Reborn fanned himself nonchalantly. "You didn't go over the record like I told you to."

Realization flashed in his mind. "You took the money when the house was being built," Tsuna breathed out.

Reborn smirked. "Finally caught on, little prince?"

Tsuna resolved to look over the withdrawals as soon as he got home, just so that he would know if Reborn had any more surprises in waiting.

* * *

Reborn's spy stationed in Italy sighed in frustration. Unfortunately, the spy had lost his secure cell phone a week before, so there was no way of telling Reborn that the detective named Ciel Phantomhive was currently investigating in Italy. He swiped a hand through his hair resignedly. Oh well. It's not like Reborn and the person he was hiding would be coming to Italy anyways. There was no way they would meet even if he didn't forewarn Reborn.

* * *

All of the students were given permission slips for their parents to sign, and all of them came back completed the next day. Not one of the parents questioned the spontaneous excursion that was definitely _not_ outlined, planned, or even mentioned in the start of the year.

Namimori citizens were abnormally… obtuse, Tsuna considered as he watched the students turn in their signed forms. Then again, with someone like Hibari around, sometimes it was better to be oblivious to the world—to be aware just enough to stay out of trouble and to be blind to those who didn't.

* * *

Rumbling footsteps interrupted the cooking class. Tsuna stopped layering the lemon meringue pie as he wondered what caused them. He got his answer a second later. "KYOKO! WHAT'S THIS I HEAR ABOUT YOU LEAVING JAPAN?!" a voice thundered. Tsuna winced at the sudden unexpected noise and dropped the plastic spoon he had been holding.

The door slammed open. Ryohei rushed in, located his sister, and grasped her shoulders tightly. He looked panicked.

Kyoko gently laid a land on one of Ryohei's large hands. "It's okay, onii-san. It's just a field trip; it's normal. I'm not leaving forever. You know I'd never leave you," she reassured.

Ryohei calmed at that. "Oh, is that so!" He laughed, relieved. "Why didn't you tell me before? I wouldn't have extremely worried then."

"But I _did_ tell you. During dinner yesterday, remember?" Kyoko replied.

Ryohei held his chin with one hand and supported the elbow of that arm with his other hand while he thought back to last night. A hazy memory surfaced. "You're extremely right! I forgot!" he shouted.

"Ah, Ryohei-san…" Tsuna interrupted.

Ryohei turned to him. "Hey, Tsuna! Call me onii-san!" he told him. "You come over to our house so frequently that I feel like you're a part of our family!"

"Oh, okay, then," Tsuna acquiesced. He adjusted quickly to the new title. "Onii-san, it's good to see you, but we're in the middle of class right now."

Ryohei looked around. The students had stopped what they were doing to watch the unexpected arrival and the resulting spectacle. Unsurprisingly, some of the projects were ruined by their inattentiveness. "I am extremely sorry for disrupting your class! You should probably go back to your work. That one looks extremely burnt." He pointed to an especially blackened crust that was starting to give off acrid smoke.

The previously distracted students turned their attention back onto their projects and then jumped into action as they tried to salvage their pies and their grades.

* * *

On the day of departure, Tsuna's classmates lined up outside, waiting for the bus that would take them to the airport. Notably, no one was absent. Nezu swaggered about in front, proudly showing off to the classes facing the front of the school that his class got the unprecedented privilege of going on an overseas trip. He was completely unaware of the reasons why they got the chance, but he figured it was a reward for his being such a good teacher. Yeah right.

Tsuna's group stood off a little ways away from the rest. Reborn was in his female persona again. He rode on Natsu's back, who now stood at Tsuna's mid-thigh. Tsuna hadn't expected Natsu to grow, especially since he was a Flame construct and not truly alive. He wasn't even giving him any more Flames than normal. But the proof was there. Natsu was steadily growing. The lion had lost a lot of its baby fat and grew leaner, with corded muscles and a wilder mane that flickered with strong Sky Flames. Tsuna chalked it up to undiscovered Flame properties. Reborn didn't comment on it.

They were taking Natsu with them since Tsuna would be gone for an indeterminate amount of time. They didn't know how long Hitsugaya was staying around, so the trip was set for a week minimum. Reborn could extend it by citing plane troubles if necessary, but a week was probably sufficient. Fuuta was staying behind with Fon, I-pin, and Bianchi since he didn't want to go back to Italy. None of the others had any reason to go there, so they stayed in Namimori.

Tsuna wondered why no one remarked about the fire lion currently bounding around, but it seemed no one thought oddly of him. Some of the kids even petted his head as he ran by.

As if sensing Tsuna's confusion, Mukuro leaned toward him, enclosing his arms around his shoulders from behind. "Natsu is a German Shepherd pup right now," Mukuro whispered into his ear.

Pushing down the blush rising in his cheeks from the sudden close proximity, Tsuna focused his concentration on Natsu. With deeper observation, he could feel the Mist Flames flickering over Natsu, encapsulating him in the vision of a normal dog. Curiosity now sated, Tsuna smiled. "Thank you," he whispered back. He allowed Mukuro to hold him loosely, taking comfort in the rumbles of his chest as the Mist user chuckled.

Mukuro was amused by his doll's worry for the lion. Did it really matter if they knew Natsu was a lion or not? He'd be going with them either way. Anyone who was scared and protested it could stay behind. They didn't matter. In fact, just he and Tsunayoshi could go, couldn't they? He could say that he was introducing his friend to his homeland. And while there, maybe he could implement one of his plans to bring down the mafia… He still hadn't forgotten about that. Even if he had to be very careful now with the Vindice watching him, he'd still do it one way or another.

Hibari watched the interaction from a high window. His eyes narrowed. _That herbivore is getting too close to the lynx._

Once the bus arrived, the students piled in, and it drove to the airport.

* * *

Reborn had reserved an entire plane for the class (with Tsuna's money, of course). Nezu shouted at the students to get them into a vaguely straight line and marched them in at Reborn's signal. The majority of the students were assigned coach seats. All of them trailed into the empty plane and took their given seats, happily talking about their trip, the new issue of that magazine, that mysterious celebrity…

None of them noticed that the newer students sat in the first class cabin. Tsuna's group was at the end of the line, so when the last of the Flame-ignorant students entered the coach cabin, the door closed to the room and Tsuna's friends settled in first class. With only Fran, Mukuro, Chikusa, Ken, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Tsuna, and Reborn, the cabin was relatively empty with ample room for more.

* * *

Ten minutes before the plane doors closed, a yellow bird fluttered in and nestled into Tsuna's hair. Tsuna reached up and petted his head. "Hibird? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?"

Tsuna jumped a little in his seat, unprepared for the sudden appearance of the Disciplinary Head. "Geh! Hibari-san?"

From behind him, Ryohei waved. "Yo, Tsuna!"

"And onii-san?"

Ryohei raised his arms enthusiastically. "I decided that I'm gonna go with you guys!"

"…I'm not letting weak Namimori herbivores get eaten by Italian herbivores," Hibari excused as his reason. The Cloud Guardian (there was no way he _wasn't_ at this point, even if he was unaware of his own Flames) quite forcefully insisted on coming along, even at the sake of leaving Namimori with lowered defenses, although Kusakabe would be staying behind to keep things in saying so, he looked pointedly at Tsuna, who caught onto the meaning.

"Ah, Hibari-san, I can take care of myself—" At Hibari's frozen glare demanding obedience, Tsuna amended, "—but you are welcome to join us."

Satisfied, Hibari took the seat next to Tsuna, giving a challenging glare to the smirking Mist Guardian.

"Tsuna, where's Kyoko?" the silver-haired boxer asked as he swept his eyes over the occupied seats.

"She's with the other students in that cabin." He pointed to the room beyond the one they were currently in. "Would you like to sit with her there or would you like to bring her here?" Tsuna offered.

"I'll bring her here! You're an extremely fun person, Tsuna!" Ryohei loudly stomped into the other cabin, all the while shouting "Extreme!" and disappeared for two minutes before returning with two people in tow.

"Hello, Tsuna-san," Kyoko greeted.

"Hi, Kyoko-chan," he said back. Then he noticed the cautiously glaring girl behind her. "Eh? Onii-san, who's this?" Tsuna questioned.

"I extremely don't know!" Ryohei shouted happily.

The girl pushed her way to stand in front Ryohei. "I'm Hana. Don't you dare call me -chan," the unknown girl introduced herself. "I'm Kyoko's friend, and I'm not leaving her in a room full of guys, even if her brother's here, if that's what you're hoping. Got a problem?" she challenged.

_Kyoko-chan has a protective friend. Good._ Tsuna waved away her concerns. "Not a problem. Please take a seat."

Kyoko sat next to her brother, and Hana went next to her. Once settled, Kyoko chattered endlessly with her brother, who was just as unaware of the reasons for the trip as the rest.

"Say, why do you guys get first class seating while everyone else is in coach?" Hana asked while Kyoko was distracted.

_Oh. One perceptive Namimori inhabitant out of… several thousands. Not a good ratio so far. _The question she asked could lead to more intrusive inquiries, and Tsuna wasn't too comfortable with Hana, an unfamiliar classmate, knowing the deeper reasons, so he decided to divert her attention as much as he could early on. "Well, you know that our school got a generous sponsor this semester, right?"

Hana nodded. It was sudden with no prior signs of happening. The conditions were odd as well. All the funds provided would be spent on Nezu's homeroom. While all of the other classes groaned with disappointment, theirs cheered with excitement. It was the first time something good happened to their class. Their class average was low compared to the others and was kept buoyant only by the few "smart genii" they had, most of which who had transferred in. Nonetheless, the sparse high grades did not save their ranking, so they did not get rewards for excellence, which was a pity because the Disciplinary Committee allowed school funds to go into congratulatory ice cream parties once a month, all of which they had failed to win so far.

"One of us is well acquainted with that person." Tsuna extended his arms to gesture the entire room. "Let's play a game. We'll give you one chance to guess who it is that knows the sponsor. If you guess correctly, we'll tell you who the sponsor is." There. Her curiosity would keep her wrapped up. Even if she was able to deduce correctly, he wouldn't be obligated to tell her the deeper details.

Hana looked around. The room's occupants had been listening in. All eyes were staring back at her in challenge. She smiled. She did love a good mystery. "I accept."

* * *

Three hours into the flight, all of the students in coach were asleep. Their room was completely silent, all but the squeaking of Fran's marker as he drew on some faces. In the first class cabin, Gokudera had gotten into a small squabble with Yamamoto and was now snoozing on top of him after struggling against him for half an hour. Yamamoto was dozing contentedly as well. Kyoko, Hana, and Ryohei succumbed to boredom and fell asleep sometime after that.

Tsuna petted Natsu while talking to Reborn. "Is there a specific agenda we'll be following when we get to Italy?" They never went into the details when making 'plan I', so anything beyond _escape to Italy as fast as possible_ was a blank. In the beginning stages of the plan, he'd been hoping Vongola would provide a short term shelter, but Tsuna didn't feel safe taking a whole class's worth of students there. So his version of 'plan I' was already derailed since Reborn made the announcement in class.

"We'll be staying with an associate of mine," Reborn replied vaguely.

Tsuna stopped stroking Natsu. "An associate? Who would that be?" Reborn couldn't be referring to him this time. He didn't have any property in Italy—not that he knew of, at least. Well, there was the Montblanc Company building, but that was for business, not for lodging.

"Someone you'll be closely acquainted with in the near future. After all, the Vongola are allied to his famiglia."

Allies… "Then that means we're hiding in a mafia base." This was no better than just going to Vongola.

Reborn turned an incredulous eye to him. "No. No one is stupid enough to bring a mass of uncultured adolescents into a dangerous mafia base. They'd kill themselves within five minutes." Reborn huffed at the idiotic thought. "We're obviously going to the private manor."

Tsuna pouted, feeling put out. "How was I supposed to know that?"

"Because you're my student," Reborn replied matter-of-factly.

That… was absolutely unreasonable. "What kind of thought process do you have?"

* * *

The plane finally touched down on Italian ground. While everyone else had slept early on in the flight, Tsuna had been discussing the trip with Reborn, so he was asleep when they were disembarking. Hibari took charge and carried him before Mukuro could offer to take him. The first class cabin occupants exited the plane first as they were the closest to the door.

There was a fair bit of outrage and hilarity as some students woke up to see obscene drawings on other people's faces or their own. There were mirrors helpfully lining the walls of the first class cabin that were definitely not there when they got into the plane, so they were able to see the bold, indecent markings as they walked out. Most of the drawn on students tried rubbing their faces harshly with their sleeves, but all that did was make their skin red. The remainder decided to wait to get the ink off; obviously, rubbing at it wouldn't work.

Fran subtly pouted as Tsuna wasn't awake to see all the fun. Maybe he could do it again later…

* * *

At the Italian airport, the students conglomerated in one giant group as Reborn arranged for transportation to the manor. The group moved from one souvenir shop to another with Nezu keeping a watch over them, if only to prove that he was responsible, although he really wasn't and couldn't manage a thorough surveillance over all the students.

Case in point, Tsuna's friends wandered off, and Hibari followed from behind (with Tsuna still sleeping on his back) because the large herd was annoying him. As long as they stayed in the general vicinity, they wouldn't get separated from the general group and they'd be fine.

So of course they had to get lost.

* * *

Somehow, they ended up outside of the airport in what seemed to be a loading area. The door that they exited from closed and wouldn't open from their side. Frustrated at the situation, Hibari (gently) dropped Tsuna into Yamamoto's surprised arms and drew his tonfas, preparing to strike down the doors. But Yamamoto stepped in front of them with Tsuna prominently carried in his hold to stop him. "Mah, mah, Hibari. The airport people won't be happy if you do that," he lightly said.

"We should extremely find some airport people to help us!" Ryohei suggested.

"'Airport people'?" Gokudera repeated.

Before Yamamoto could respond, three large men swaggered up to them. Two of them went on either side of them. The third wielded a knife and stood in front. He waved the blade around demonstratively while saying something in a language that no one but Mukuro's group understood.

"Oya, it seems they want to rob us," Mukuro summed up when the man stopped talking and waited for them to comply.

Fran watched the proceedings from the back but prepared a small amount of Flames in his hands. Ryohei gathered Kyoko and Hana behind him, sensing tension in the air. Chikusa and Ken watched the thugs disinterestedly. Gokudera ignored them all in favor of rearranging Tsuna's limbs to be more comfortable, and Yamamoto stood there and let Gokudera angle his arms to better hold Tsuna.

Hibari still had his tonfas out, looking like he was ready to start fighting. The thugs didn't take the danger seriously and disregarded the glaring teen. The leader barked something at one of the others, and the goon stepped up and grabbed Tsuna's arm. Tsuna stirred at the strong grip on his wrist and woke up.

That provoked a reaction from Mukuro. The illusionist extended his arm out, summoning his trident. He pointed it at the assaulter. "Oh? I didn't give you permission to touch my doll," Mukuro hissed venomously in Italian at the paling man.

Hibari was thoroughly angered then. "Herbivores! Speak Japanese!" he growled as he smashed a tonfa into the man's head. The demand for Japanese went unheard by the man as he was knocked unconscious. Hibari hit him again in irritation.

"Extreme fighting!" Ryohei shouted. He leapt into the fray.

Tsuna roused fully as he sensed the violence break out. Hibari's words slowly penetrated his sleepy mind. "Hibari-san, we're in Italy. It's normal for them to speak Italian," he called out to the prefect beating up the other goon. Tsuna turned to Gokudera. "We _are_ in Italy, right? Reborn didn't take us somewhere else?"

Gokudera nodded. "Yes. We are currently at the airport, but we have a slight inconvenience to deal with right now."

Tsuna relaxed more into Yamamoto's hold at Gokudera's reassurance. He felt like Ichigo was carrying him again. He missed him as he hadn't seen him for more than a month now, the longest time that they've been separated since they met.

Ryohei dealt with the leader, whose knife was smacked out of his hand and was restrained by Fran's snakes. The man screamed as he tried to struggle away from the snakes, but he was unable to and knocked himself out as he hit his head against the floor harshly.

They all stared down at the three unconscious men, not knowing what to do. "Now what?" Fran poked his foot at an already darkening bruise on one of the men's cheeks.

"Tear them apart!" Ken suggested.

"There are perfectly good airplanes all around us," Mukuro hinted. "Look. That runway looks awfully empty…"

Hibari held a tonfa in front of himself. "I'll bite them all to death," he growled as he looked at the three men.

In the end, Tsuna dropped to his feet out of Yamamoto's hold and led them to the front of the airport, planning to go back in and look for Reborn. "With all the noise you made, security guards will be getting there soon, and there's enough evidence to incriminate them for robbing," he explained on the way. However, Reborn and the students (still not aware of any missing numbers within themselves) were waiting in front with a line of limos. "Those came out of my bank account, right?" Tsuna asked once they reached Reborn, knowing the answer already.

Reborn fluttered his Leon-fan elegantly in his female persona. "Obviously."

* * *

The students marveled at the luxury cars and carefully slid themselves onto the leather seats, not wanting to damage anything.

"This is my first time _ever_ on a limo," one boy whispered to his friend.

A girl across from him giggled. "Same for all of us."

"I bet Sasuke-kun is used to them," another girl tittered as she held one of Sasuke's arms close to her chest and leaned on a shoulder.

Sasuke shrugged her off, annoyed at her clinginess. Ever since his secret got out, more girls started to pursue him for his money in addition to his looks, probably hoping to marry well. They were in _middle_ school, _way_ too early to start thinking about marriage. Ugh. Well, he could look at the bright side of things. He was in Venice, Italy. He could sneak off and try to secure a contract with Montblanc while he was here. There was also the Vongola Trading Company to consider. The teacher probably wouldn't notice if he went missing for a few hours for a couple of days.

* * *

In the first limo, Tsuna had fallen asleep again, still tired from too little sleep. His head rested in Mukuro's lap, who had taken the opportunity to make a claim on Tsuna while Hibari made sure all of the students were present and getting in the limos.

The ride took half an hour, not quite long enough for Tsuna to rid himself of drowsiness, but enough to get himself to wake up enough to walk a short distance. Unfortunately for him, the place they were going to had a long walkway from the gates to the actual residence.

Tsuna pulled himself off of Mukuro's lap, attempting to rub sleep from his eyes and largely failing. He stumbled out of the limo after the others exited and grabbed onto the closest person to steady himself, who happened to be Gokudera. All of the other students had gotten out by then and were staring in wonder at the building meant to house them for the week.

Reborn gestured grandly to the imposing structure behind him. "Welcome to Cavallone manor."

* * *

This chapter was _supposed_ to cover all of the Italy trip, but it got too long. I'll probably post the rest in a separate chapter once I write it. AP tests are coming up in two weeks or so. I won't be updating until after I take all four, so wish me luck? And then I have the SAT test after those in June… I might extend my semi-hiatus until then.

Please tell me if you find anything awkward, lacking, etc.

Posted: 4/22/15


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: Just for this chapter, text in italics is Italian. Regular is Japanese unless otherwise noted._

* * *

Dino had been going over the financial reports from the last week when his desk's intercom relayed a message of unexpected guests arriving in non-armored limos. Taking that to be a friendly gesture from important guests, he ordered the gates to be opened but for the outside guards to be prepared just in case.

He put aside the papers, stood up, and stretched his sore limbs to get blood flowing freely again. Three straight hours of work was never pleasant. And now it was time to go greet his guests. Reborn always said a boss must show hospitality when not dealing with enemies.

* * *

Children. There were children roaming the grounds. And a short lady. The short lady looked awfully familiar…

"Ciaossu," the lady greeted.

Ah. That would be it. For some reason, his former tutor saw it fit to make an unannounced visit with kids in tow. _Why?_ Dino mentally groaned. _At least I get to get out of work for a while._

As if sensing his thoughts—_How does he do that?_—Reborn smacked him to the floor with his Leon fan.

"_Gah! Reborn, why'd you do_—" He yelped as he was hit again, this time making him roll two feet away.

"How disrespectful, Dino. You dare to greet your mother like that?" Reborn scolded in Japanese, eyes gleaming with dark humor and glee.

Taking Reborn's cue, he responded in the same language. "My mother? But she's dea—" When Reborn lifted his fan threateningly, Dino wisely stopped the thought. He chose to go along with Reborn's pretense in order to preserve his remaining brain cells from Reborn's abuse. "M-Mother! How good to see you!"

Unfortunately for Dino, he was hit again anyways. "What did I tell you about stuttering?"

"N-not to…" he waveringly replied.

Reborn took slow, steady steps to Dino, who hastily scrambled away from the menacing presence of the Sun Arcobaleno.

"And what are you doing now?"

"S-stuttering?"

"Wait! Reborn!" Dino slipped a little as he fled from the surprisingly fast little figure that was easily keeping pace with him.

The fan flickered as it sliced through the air, aiming to hit the man's calf. "Don't be disrespectful to your mother!" _Smack._

The man yelped. "Okay! Okay! Please Stop!"

"A boss shouldn't give in so easily." _Smack. _"Where's your pride?"

The Namimori kids stood by as they watched a grown man be beaten by a tiny lady who was supposedly his mother.

"Hey…" a boy hesitantly interjected into the uncertain silence. "Should we try to stop her?"

The crowd backed away. "If you want to, don't let us stop you," one boy said.

"We believe in you, Hanataro-kun!" a girl shouted.

"Go for it!"

The students gave their encouragements, having no intentions of helping and only wanting to see what would happen should a person interrupt the squabbling family members.

Tsuna took pity on Hanataro, who was trying to shrink out of existence, and audibly told Gokudera, "I'm feeling a bit of jetlag." This served to stop both the students' goading and Reborn's relentless beating of Dino and opened up a flood of complaints from various students.

"I'm hungry."

"I'm a little tired."

"My feet are sore."

"If you're tired, I can carry you, Tsuna-sama!" Gokudera offered, picking up on Tsuna's hint.

"What are you doing letting your guests get to this level? Get them inside," Reborn demanded. "I raised you better than that."

"You were hi—" Dino started, but then thought better of complaining. His legs were sore enough from running and enduring Reborn's deceptively strong hits. He didn't need any more of those. "Right." He nodded. "Romario," Dino called out to a man standing in the front of a line of similarly suited men. "Are we ready?"

"_Yes, Boss_," Romario answered. "Please, come this way," he instructed the children.

At this point, Tsuna was starting to succumb to his drowsiness again, so Yamamoto offered to pick him up before Gokudera could shift him onto his back. Tsuna was in Yamamoto's arms once more before Hibari and Mukuro could finish exchanging their competitive glares.

* * *

As expected, the opulent manor was just as impressive on the inside as the outside. The typical features of a richly decorated residence were present; there were bracketed lamps lining the walls, thick carpets sprawling across the floors, and huge portraits glittering in gold frames. The portraits each depicted a blond man or woman holding what seemed to be a weapon of some sort in a blue background.

"Hey, Dino-san," Yamamoto called out. "What's that? It looks interesting."

Yamamoto was unsteadily pointing to the portrait of a woman who had a mace in hand. A smear of red decorated the tip of one of the spikes. Yamamoto moved his hand back into position before he could lose his grip and drop Tsuna, who was now asleep.

Dino rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Ahaha… That is—uh—"

Dino was saved from attempting to come up with a plausible answer when another, while pointing to a separate frame, asked, "Who's that?"

"Oh," Dino sighed, relieved. That wasn't as hard to answer. "That would be the founder of the group of our greatest allies."

All of them stared up at the gleaming portrait. It was an old oil painting of a man with gentle blond hair and eyes with the rare hue of orange. He wore a rich pinstripe suit under a regal black cape that hung over his shoulders. "Giotto di Vongola" was engraved into a gold plate under the frame.

Next to the portrait was another one that looked just as old. The man in the other frame also had blond hair, but he had the more typical blue eyes. He wore a gray suit with a cravat and no cloak. The man held a whip that was coiled tightly. "Jerome Cavallone" gleamed brightly at them from the engraved nameplate.

"This one is the founder of our group," Dino explained as their eyes wandered over to the other frame. "These two formed an alliance centuries ago, and the alliance holds strongly to this day."

"We'll be seeing both of the companies, so you can hold off your questions until later," Reborn said when a student attempted to ask another. "Now we shall proceed to lunch, won't we, Dino?"

"Alright, Re—Mother! I said Mother!" Dino hastily corrected with a subtle movement from Reborn.

* * *

A decadent meal-with-way-too-many-courses later, Romario guided the glutted kids to their rooms for the week, all of them gathered in one wing of the building. A satisfyingly full stomach and the drag of jetlag were finally catching up to them, and not a few students yawned as they stumbled into their assigned rooms and onto the plush beds.

Tsuna stayed in the dining room. He'd woken up halfway through the meal when everyone else was on their third course, so he was still trying to spoon some of the soft red stuff into his mouth while the others went to sleep. That and he'd caught the blond man's eye requesting him to stay behind.

Once the dining room door thudded shut and the soft muffled footsteps of the group gradually disappeared, the man introduced himself. "So you're Reborn's new student, I hear. I'm Dino Cavallone, the tenth boss of the Cavallone famiglia. Nice to meet you." He lifted his water glass minutely in cheers.

Tsuna reciprocated. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, soon-to-be tenth boss of the Vongola famiglia. Nice to meet you, too, Cavallone-san."

With the official introductions over, the air became much less stilted. "Now, you don't have to call me that. It's much too formal for you. Hey, I know! Since we're both students of Reborn, that makes me your senpai, right? We've both suffered under his tyranny." It was a good thing that Reborn wasn't in the room to hear that, else Dino would've had to dodge a bullet. "In that case, we're like brothers! I can be your nii-san!"

"Then… Dino-nii?" Tsuna looked up for approval. Seeing the rather ecstatic gleam in Dino's eyes, Tsuna smiled back.

* * *

After Tsuna finished his lunch, Dino escorted him to his room, which was in an area not previously gone through. The area was brightly lit and seemed disturbingly well-kept even compared to other parts of the mansion. A gilded set of double doors led to Dino's room. Dino waved toward a smaller set of doors to the right of his. "You can stay here," he said as he pushed open the doors.

It felt just like his room in the mansion back in Namimori. A dresser carved from quality wood—cherry, maybe—supported a large decorative mirror. A four poster bed (which Tsuna had at Reborn's insistence) was piled high with soft pillows and fluffy sheets. Unlike in his mansion room, there was a ceiling-high window at one wall that led to a balcony. It was more like his castle room in that sense, albeit with the absence of a beloved tree.

Nevertheless, Tsuna was pleased by it. "Thank you," he said sincerely to his beaming host.

"Don't mention it," Dino waved off. "You'll want to take a nap, I suppose. You look like you're about to drop asleep again."

Indeed, Tsuna was leaning toward one of the posts of the bed, holding onto it for support. "You don't mind, Dino-nii?" Tsuna asked.

"Go right ahead. I bet the others are already sleeping," Dino excused. "We can talk at dinner."

Dino left the room as Tsuna settled into his comfortable nest of blankets and pillows, dropping off to sleep yet again.

* * *

Just ten minutes later, all of the kids were asleep and the manor guards and servants had left the wing. _Chance._ Sasuke left his room after calling for a taxi. There were no employees he could call for here… yet. He planned to get the cooperation of the Vongola Trading Company to get an unlimited access to Merith's markets. If he managed to get Vongola's backing, then it was practically a done deal that Merith would acquiesce. Currently, he only had the trading rights to about 18% of Merith's grape stock. The limited amount made the Uchiha wine chocolates very exclusive and rare that only the very wealthy could afford to indulge in, but if he were to get _all_ of the grapes there would be more opportunity to sell and profit. It would be very lucrative… for him. It wasn't his business if the smaller rival companies couldn't keep up with changes.

He needed to do this. Then the Akatsuki Sweets Corporation would go out of business and Itachi would learn that he can't just betray the family. Itachi would _have _to come back.

Sasuke slipped out of the mansion, unnoticed by all but Dino, who watched the always frowning student stroll out of the gate. Dino wondered how Sasuke expected to get back in.

* * *

Tsuna felt he was finally caught up to the others in terms of sleep. While the others only took about an hour or two to nap since they were less tired, Tsuna took the opportunity to have a nice sleep and went for four hours.

The other students were gathered in the gardens, playing childishly with each other. Hibari looked to be suffering an abnormally high level of aggravation as he keenly watched over the kids running across the lawn and ducking between the copse of trees.

Fran was up to his usual play; he materialized a snake and set it upon four kids he didn't like. The startled kids shouted and fled from the snake, which continuously slithered toward them. Dino stepped up and grabbed it by its head, preventing it from biting. After a quick assessment, he released it into the brush, saying, "It's just a Horseshoe Whip Snake. They're not venomous, so don't be intimidated, even if that one was particularly large." Then he turned his head to Fran, correctly deducing that the Mist Flames he sensed that made up the snake came from him. Instead of calling him out on it in private, he just smiled amusedly. Fran approved of Dino.

Yamamoto was attempting to get the other students to play catch with him with a ball that was provided by Romario, but they all backed away, knowing that the cheerfully smiling boy had a frighteningly strong throwing arm.

Hana stood off to the side, watching the interaction thoughtfully. Yamamoto was very friendly with the suited men watching over them and with Dino-san. It would make sense if he were the one with the connection. But then again, wasn't he always friendly?

Gokudera straightened up from where he was leaning against a tree when he saw Tsuna emerge from the mansion. "Tsuna-sama! Are you fully awake now?" he asked when Tsuna walked to him.

"Yes. The room was very comfortable," Tsuna commented. "So, what's been happening here?"

Gokudera shrugged. "Not much. Most of us woke up quickly and nothing was really planned out for today, so we've been exploring the mansion. Then some got bored and decided to start a game outside, and eventually everyone else followed. No one's playing it now, though." Once Yamamoto had gotten a hold of the ball, everyone else backed off.

"Is that so?" Tsuna slid down to the springy grass next to Gokudera and let out a content sigh as he leaned against the bark of the tree. Gokudera followed his actions. The two of them sat there and watched Mukuro have a covert match-off with Mist Flames against Fran out of sight from all but them deep in the trees. To Tsuna, it looked like Mukuro was directing Fran in making more intricate illusions. Fran was now capable in creating a wave of snakes that surged forward as a whole. Hm. Maybe Mukuro was taking him in as an apprentice.

Eventually, the sun sank down and the kids withdrew into the mansion, exhausted but happy. They were given a filling dinner before they were put back into their rooms to sleep.

Their first day in Italy passed without incident.

* * *

Sasuke was frustrated. Apparently, he couldn't meet with the head unless he made an _appointment_. He was the heir of _Uchiha Confectionaries_, a prestigious company that they should be _honored_ to serve. Fine. They'd learn how great his company was soon enough. He made an appointment scheduled to take place in two days and took the taxi back to the Cavallone mansion. It was already ten p.m. If he'd been one hour later, he wouldn't have been able to even make an appointment.

He stood outside the gates, now realizing his problem. He was stuck. Outside. With the gates locked. And he couldn't ask for the gate to be opened or he'd be questioned. Then… the only way in was to climb, which would definitely ruin his suit, which he needed for the meeting in two days. Hm… ruined suit or damage to pride? He _really_ didn't want to be seen like an errant child, and suits can be replaced, so… He nodded decisively.

Climb it is.

* * *

"_Boss, there's a kid trying to climb the gate_," Romario announced as he handed his boss another sheaf of papers.

"_Oh, he's back?_" Dino mumbled around a pen. He swiped the pen out of his mouth and casually pointed it to the direction of the gate. "_Let him climb. He wants to be unnoticed. Have the guards stay back._"

After sending the order, Romario settled back, watching the kid crest the top of the gate and getting the edge of his coat caught on the wrought iron points. The coat tore as he tried to wriggle away, and the sudden loosening made him lose his balance and fall over into the side of the mansion. He managed to grab onto a bar of the gate as he fell, however, and slowed down his descent enough to let him reorient himself and land on his feet instead of his back as he was previously positioned to do. The kid dusted himself off angrily and readjusted his coat before walking back to the mansion as dignified as he could be in such a situation.

As he passed by one of the garden lights, Romario caught sight of his face. "_Sasuke Uchiha_," he noted. "_What was he doing outside?_"

"_It doesn't really matter. His background check says he's the heir of Uchiha Confectionaries of Japan, so he was probably making connections. The most harm he could do to us is try to sway our allies away from us—try, since his company may have strength in Japan, but we are stronger in Italy._"

* * *

In the morning, the kids were unexpectedly jolted into waking up by the sound of a bullhorn. When they stumbled out of their rooms, it was to the sight of Mother Cavallone with a finger ready to press the button of the green bullhorn again. However, instead of hitting the alarm, she switched buttons and pressed the speaker button to announce, "Breakfast started thirty minutes ago. If you're not down in ten minutes, you're not having breakfast today." With that said, she walked back downstairs with surprising speed for a lady of her supposed age and stature.

A flurry of activity sparked once the realization that they were late to breakfast sank in. Missing one of the meals here would be a _crime_. They only had a week to experience such lavish authentic Italian food, and they couldn't even appreciate it all that much on the first day because of the disorientation from settling into an unfamiliar place.

* * *

The Cavallone Company building was impressive like the mansion had been. A row of workers lined each side of the walkway, greeting their boss in synchronization. The automatic doors smoothly slid open as Dino took the lead in, waving and greeting the workers back.

"This is the main building. Here we organize meetings and deals. Our main dealings are the finest horses raised in Italy. One of the ranches is on my estate, but considering it's about two kilometers away from the mansion, it's likely you didn't notice it." Dino continued to detail his company's history and jobs as they walked deeper into the building.

Tsuna felt a little uneasy as time passed, however. He couldn't find anything in his surroundings that could've made him feel that way, and the lack of a visual cause made him even more nervous.

* * *

Back in Namimori, Hitsugaya had arrived in the small town and was looking around uninterestedly. He'd already combed through most of Egypt, Denmark, and Britain, all without a trace of the prince. He _did_ end up unexpectedly meeting Phantomhive while in Britain, however. The fourteen year old boy had been taking the chance to check up on some of his corporations there while following a possible track of the prince. The last he heard of him, he was heading off to Italy to look over his branches there and follow another lead. The prince's personal guard had been tagging along, from what he'd seen.

He himself had no leads to follow since he was given the orders to simply explore _any_ possible places the prince might have gone in the whole world. It would take him a large stroke of luck to get even close to that. The game of hit-and-miss was getting very tiresome. It _had_ been for a while now, actually. Hitsugaya sighed, irritated. What chance was there of the prince being in such a backwater town anyway? He should go to Hokkaido instead. The prince would probably be interested in the black watermelons. It had nothing to do with his own desire to sample the delicacy…

"Oh, if it isn't Hitsugaya-kun!" a voice called out.

He stopped walking. That was a voice he hadn't heard in a while. The man had disappeared a few years back with no hint of return. He turned around, expecting to see the sweets-loving man, and sure enough, Urahara stood at the door of a nondescript candy shop while eating a large lollipop.

"Urahara-san," Hitsugaya acknowledged. "What are you doing here? And for that matter, why did you leave?" He walked closer to the man.

Urahara waved his customary fan trivially. "It's not that important. But if you must know…" He leaned forward secretively. Hitsugaya leaned in too with anticipation. "…I got bored!" Urahara laughed at the put-upon expression now on Hitsugaya's face. "You can't have expected me to stay there forever. Besides, I have stuff to do here."

Hitsugaya was interested again. "Oh? Like what?"

Urahara covered his grin with his fan. "That'll cost you if you'd like to know."

Knowing that the man may ask for an exorbitant price, Hitsugaya declined. "No, it's okay."

"Really? Are you sure?" At Hitsugaya's withering glance, he relented. "Fine, fine. Would you like to come in for tea? I have some new candy I think you'd like. I know how much you like watermelons." When Hitsugaya blushed, Urahara laughed again.

"Shut up!"

"Don't be so angry, Hitsu-chan!"

Hitsugaya growled.

* * *

"_Freeze!_" an armed man yelled out in the lobby. The people that had been crossing through instantly dropped what they were holding—coffee mugs, meticulously organized papers, congratulatory bouquets—and froze their movements. Satisfied by the compliance, the man strode in confidently, still waving his gun around, and demanded, "_Bring me your boss._"

The receptionist stuttered, "_R-right away, s-sir_." She swung in her chair to reach the corded phone and rang the secretary of the boss's office. As she punched in the buttons, she discreetly pressed another button, sending out a subtle signal to the guards and a warning to the workers that there was an armed force in the building.

* * *

"This is the administrative offi—" Dino was cut off as his cell phone's ringtone went off. He slipped it out of his pocket as he nodded apologetically to the students standing by and picked up the call. "_Yes? What is it?_"

"_Boss? Where are you?_" Romario's muffled voice was heard by the curious students.

"_The west side of the thirteenth floor. Why?_" Dino answered.

"_There is a little problem in the lobby. If you are able, please drop off the kids in your office and watch over them._"

"_It seems like there's some trouble down there. Do you need help?_" Dino offered even as he motioned for the group to follow him. He fetched his keys from an inside pocket and turned the correct key in the lock when he reached his office door. The door swung open and he waved the kids inside.

Romario declined. "_We have it under control. He's probably just a small-time thug that wants to make a name for himself._"

Dino laughed unconcernedly. "_That was a bad choice of his—to try to invade Cavallone territory. What does he even want?_"

"_All he demanded so far was for you to meet him here. Don't worry, Boss. The guards are coming in now_."

There was a short pause, then a surprised exclamation of "_Hey! What are you—!_" before several thuds were heard, and then silence.

"_All done, Boss_."

"_Good job, Romario. I—_" Again he was interrupted as the quiet scraping of metal sounded from overhead.

The tittering of girls in the back and the murmurs of the boys congregated in a corner died down as the shuffling above became more animated and the air grate was removed. They watched silently as a woman dropped down. She was crouched from landing a fifteen foot jump down, but she soon straightened into an upright position, ready to continue her covert mission—which she discovered to be not so covert as she found herself being stared at by a large group of _children_ in the boss's office. Oh. And the boss himself, it appeared.

The invader and Dino had a short face-off, in which the two stood unmoving, unblinking, while Tsuna's classmates so _very_ discreetly whipped out their phones and started to record the confrontation. The small five second window in which the invader was shocked frozen was all that was needed for all of the students to have their phones out and ready for the scene that followed.

It was also enough time for the lady to get her wits back about herself. The woman finally snapped out of her shock and jolted into quick movements, reaching to her belt to utilize a small handgun and an eight-inch blade. A wave of fear flooded over the students as they noticed the deadly weapons. Gokudera slid in front of Tsuna to protect him just in case she came over to his area. Unfortunately for the woman, Dino was much faster and had his hidden whip out and uncoiled, already twining around her as one hand just barely touched the handle of the gun. Dino pulled at the whip, tightening it around the woman and pinning her arms to her side, unable to reach either of the weapons. She collapsed as she lost her balance when the whip tightened her legs together.

Dino went back to the phone call. "_Hey, Romario, I found another novice trying to root around in my office. She didn't even check if the office was empty before getting out of the air shaft. Can you send someone to pick her up?_" he requested. After being given an affirmative, Dino dismissed the call. With that done, he put away the phone and strolled forward to the woman who was trying to escape her bonds. "_I don't suppose you would tell me who sent you_," he said to her. She scoffed and turned her head away. "_Yep. Didn't think so. What were you after anyways? Files? My authorization stamp? The safe?_" At the last guess, the woman flinched. _The safe, then._

There was a knock on the door. Dino gave permission for entrance, and Romario and a group of more suited men streamed in. They swiftly swept up the intruder and disappeared as fast as they'd come.

"Well now, that was a little disaster averted," Dino remarked. "Lots of people would've been angry at me if…" He shuddered subtly. "But they wouldn't have been able to get into the safe anyways." To Tsuna, he added on in a whisper, "It's Flame-locked."

The Namimori students put away their phones once they realized there would be no more exciting scenes for now. Hana contemplated the situation before asking, "Dino-san, what's in that safe anyways?"

"Nothing that you need to know about," Dino teased. He laughed when many groans of disappointment arose. "But if you're so curious…" The students perked back up. "…you'll have to find out, won't you?" Now they were unsure. Was this further teasing or was he going to tell them? Dino did neither. Instead, he gestured for Tsuna to step toward him. Together they walked to a back corner and pushed aside a shelf from the wall. However, instead of there being a safe embedded into the wall, Dino reached down and pulled away a small section of flooring, revealing the false bottom. Within the nondescript hole laid the safe. Unnoticeably to the group at large, Dino lit a small Sky Flame on the tip of his finger and tapped in the code on the Flame-sensitive keypad. The safe clicked open. Dino put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder and smiled at him, motioning for him to take out the small case that resided inside.

Once Tsuna had the case in hand, Dino procured a little key from an inside pocket and used it to open the lock. The case popped open. Inquisitive students leaned forward, trying to see around the top of the box. To satisfy them, Tsuna announced, "They're rings, but they look broken." Seven rings sat comfortably in a red cushion securely embedded within the thin box. Each seemed to have a different half-completed crest on top.

"Yes, they're not whole, but you can get the story from me later." Dino's eyes wandered to the enamored watching kids. "I was supposed to give these to you when I went to Japan, but you came to Italy before I got the chance to." He shrugged. "All the better, I suppose, since it seems new troubles have sprung up. It might take a while to deal with them." Then he clapped suddenly, startling them all out of their reverie. "All right! Time to get on with the tour!"

* * *

Day three was spent leisurely making a general tour of the area, going to popular tourist hotspots. However, only an hour into the trip, they were interrupted by a phone call.

Dino excused himself from the group, pulling out his phone as he waved his hand with apology. "Sorry, it's important. Wait for me here, will you? Actually, none of you move." After having gotten possibly-sincere promises of staying in place from the students, Dino slipped into a quiet corner of the street. Reborn would make sure they behave.

A few minutes later, Dino came back. He looked hurried and slightly flustered. "Something came up. I'm going back to the mansion. Can you take care of them, Re—Mother?" he requested quickly even as he patted his pockets to make sure nothing was missing before he positioned himself to leave. A number of guards split off from the main group to accompany their boss back, the ever dependable Romario being one of them.

"Go ahead," Reborn permitted. "Don't do anything stupid, my idiotic son. Remember what I've taught you." The last part was said in a subtly threatening manner.

"Got it," Dino said in a somewhat distracted tone. Without another word, he dashed down the street to a waiting car prepared to take him to the mansion.

Reborn turned around to face the students again after seeing Dino leave safely. "Well then, shall we continue?"

* * *

Ichigo wandered through the streets, having nothing to do since Ciel was still organizing his business and of course Sebastian was helping him. Were they even _trying_ to find Tsuna at this point? Zangetsu's soul stirred within him, sympathetically incensed by his own irritation.

The afternoon sun crashed waves of heat upon him. It wasn't as hot as Merith's summers (it was at the equator, after all) but it was certainly feeling like it would reach that level.

Summer was coming. Usually that would mean summer break for someone his age or younger, but he would normally be indulging Tsuna with _sanctioned_ trips outside the castle until Tsuna's tutors decided _they_ had enough of a break or finished tending to their family businesses (all of Tsuna's tutors were high nobles, so they were busy year round). Up ahead, he caught a glimpse of a large group of kids disappearing around the corner. A school trip, maybe. They didn't look native; they looked Japanese. He huffed out a breath. Young students had it so easy; just play games, occasionally study, read a couple books…

Ichigo stopped. There. That… lady looked familiar for some reason, although he was sure that if he'd ever met someone like that, they wouldn't be so easily forgotten. In fact, the only person he could recall at the moment was that bastard Reborn. The lady even had a green chameleon…

And suddenly realization struck him. It _was_ Reborn! "Hey you! Stop!"

And, as expected, the bastard didn't stop. He actually disappeared faster. By the time Ichigo reached the turn, the entire group of students and the Vongola representative had disappeared.

No, it seemed _one_ student was left behind. A black-haired boy swiveled his head left and right, attempting to catch sight of anything familiar, disoriented and lost. However, as Ichigo continued to observe him, it became more likely that he _chose_ to become separate. The kid appeared to recognize a café across the street and turned to the right of it. Ichigo followed; he was still bored, and if he stayed long enough he'd likely find Reborn again.

* * *

Life hated him. He was sure of it. First he was denied a meeting, and now the secretary had _forgotten_ to pass on the notice for his meeting to the boss. He'd have to wait _another two days_ for that meeting. Irritated, Sasuke swept some hair out of his face and breathed in deeply. Fine. He was a mature young adult. He could wait.

* * *

Outside, Ichigo stared up at the name of the building. Vongola. So Reborn worked here, huh? He pulled out his phone and called Ciel. As soon as the call picked up, Ichigo excitedly started talking. "Hey, Ciel, I found—"

He was interrupted abruptly by Sebastian's voice. "Young Master is currently in a meeting with Uzumaki Creameries. Would you like me to pass on a message?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure. Tell him that the Vongola Trading Company is based here. I found the building and saw Reborn earlier—or at least I _think_ it was him." Ichigo trailed off uncertainly. Why _was_ he crossdresssing? He shook his head. "Never mind that. Anyways tell him to come down to 13533 Palermo when he can."

The butler hummed, considering. "I do believe the master's schedule is full for today. The best course of action would be to go together tomorrow as a group. Is this acceptable?"

"What? Really?" Ichigo sighed. "Fine. I'll go back to the hotel then. Don't forget to tell him."

"I assure you I won't."

* * *

It was night by the time Reborn decided he'd had his fun exerting the students to their vestiges of physical strength, which was _after_ three students collapsed from exhaustion. Then Reborn summoned the cars and had them driven back. When they returned to the mansion, Dino drew Tsuna and Reborn away from the crowd trying to drag their feet in the direction of the rooms without tripping.

Once the three were nestled in comfortable couches a few rooms off from the entrance to the guest wing, Dino started the conversation. "You should be cautious. I have word that some suspicious people have docked about two weeks ago," he warned. "In addition to that, I found out the source of the people who broke into the Cavallone Company building yesterday. Apparently, word got out that the Varia are active, acting out, and seeking the other half of the Vongola half-rings. I don't know how the small fry got word that I had them, but it seems the Varia themselves didn't know. The duo was acting independently. They were probably hoping to be rewarded or wanted to trade with the Varia for them."

"Dino-nii, would you mind explaining the rings to me now?" Tsuna asked.

Dino startled. He'd… sort of forgotten to do that. "Oh, yes. Do you have them?"

"Right here." Tsuna swung the box out from behind his back. He'd had Gokudera carry it around in his bag and slip it back to him when they came back to the mansion.

"Okay, then." Dino opened the case again, revealing the half-rings. "These are the heir rings that declare you next in line for Vongola. This one—" He pointed to the ring in the middle. "—is yours, the Sky. Around it are Storm, Sun, Lightning, Rain, Mist, and Cloud. I assume you already have your Guardians in mind."

"Well, I have _most_ of them," Tsuna said shyly. At Dino's questioning look, he added, "I'm warming up to a potential Sun Guardian, but I don't know about Lightning."

Dino turned to Reborn, who simply said, "I have a candidate in mind." And that was settled.

The next half hour was spent getting Tsuna caught up on matters relating to the Varia, how they would probably seek him out for the rings now that their leader was freed to pursue his desires once more. They decided to hold off on giving out the rings until Tsuna had all of his Guardians firmly chosen.

* * *

On the fourth day, they went outside of Sicily. The majority of the day was mostly the same as the previous day—meandering around the region and touring. Their last stop for the day was another mansion, albeit a smaller one. This one was decorated oddly. Large horns curled up from the gate and the walls of the mansion itself was… spotted. Like a cow.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out and smoke rose from one side of the mansion, yet no one inside was screaming or showing any other sign of panic. It was as if it was an everyday occurrence.

And then another, smaller explosion sounded and a puff of pink rose into the air, joining the first cloud of dust. No one reacted to that one either.

From the new hole in the wall, a man(?) emerged, running from the scene. The new person wore a spotted dress shirt and had one eye closed as if doing so didn't hinder his eyesight. The person looked around, possibly for a hiding space, but landed his eyes on the group gathered around the gate. One student was just about to hit the intercom attached to the brick wall.

The man—more of a teen, actually—brightened when he caught sight of Tsuna and Reborn standing off to the side. He ran toward them, hitting a button on the bovine statue on the way, making the gate swing open.

"Hey!" he shouted at them as he approached. "Nice to see you, nii-san!"

His Tsuna-nii looked confusedly at him. Oh, right. This was probably their first meeting.

"Would you happen to be Lambo?" Reborn asked.

Lambo looked down at him. Man, that felt good—to look down at Reborn, even if it was only for the next three minutes. But why was Reborn wearing a dress? Wait. Reborn had just asked him a question. He had to answer or risk getting shot, or tased, or burned, or pulverized… After reorganizing his thoughts, Lambo regained the ability to use his tongue instead of rambling in his mind. "Huh? Yes."

"Get in the car," the hitman ordered.

"What? I—"

And he was unceremoniously tossed into the limo head-first. Reborn never did have any patience with him. He probably didn't appreciate his hesitance either.

All of the students were herded back into the limos as fast as they had exited. The line of limos drove away with one Bovino in tow, and the mansion's inhabitants stayed unaware (or uncaring) of one of their missing numbers.

_Lightning acquired._

* * *

Lambo in his normal five-year-old form was not that difficult to handle, Tsuna discovered, given that he had candy on hand. He'd bought some earlier to satisfy his sweet tooth, and the varieties of sweets were obligingly stored in Gokudera's bag. Once the second puff of pink happened and Lambo reverted from fifteen to five, the boy had been more curious than scared when he found himself in a car full of unknown people. Lambo roamed in what limited space he had, climbing all over people's laps and generally getting on the more volatile people's nerves. He settled down when Tsuna sacrificed a swirled lollipop to him and fell asleep as soon as he was done eating it.

The Ten-Year Bazooka was an odd invention, Tsuna thought. It defied normal conventions of space-time theory yet appeared to have no negative repercussions.

* * *

Ciel was acting weird today, Ichigo noticed. He kept swaying somewhat unsteadily yet refused a helping hand from Sebastian. Ichigo snorted. A nobleman's pride. He thought it'd be better to accept the hand instead of tripping over his feet, which is what Ciel was bound to do sometime soon. Maybe he was sick.

Suddenly, Ciel stopped his stuttering steps and raised his nose to the air, as if sniffing out a pleasant scent, but Ichigo didn't sense anything. What Ichigo didn't and _couldn't_ sense was the soft, feathery black cloud trailing along the sidewalk, feeling sweet yet tainted like a doomed, wretched promise.

_What is that?_ Ciel pawed at the air, trying to move the black miasma, which seemed to emanate from a timid looking girl further down the road.

While both Ichigo and Ciel were distracted, Sebastian flashed his blood red eyes, finding the source of the delicious, despairing taint that distracted his master. _Oh? We'll have to return tomorrow, then. It seems that Young Master's blood has fully awakened. Let's see how he handles this. Not a bad choice for a first meal…_

In the next moment, Ciel rushed forward all of a sudden, catching Ichigo off guard, although Sebastian expected it. Ciel ran toward the girl and swiped a hand out once in reach. His fingers went toward, in, then _through_ the girl's head and emerged holding a black, spherical mass.

The girl started and stumbled away as she saw the boy running in a course to almost crash into her, but she did not feel the intruding fingers in her head or see the malignant object that was pulled out. She watched quizzically as the boy delightedly held his cupped hands to his chest and kept running.

"Young Master!" An old-fashioned butler called out to the fleeing boy. However, instead of looking annoyed at his runaway charge, he seemed joyous. How odd. The man ran past her quickly, easily catching up to the boy. He scooped him up in a secure hold, making sure that whatever was in the boy's cupped hands didn't fall out. The boy himself didn't appear to be irked by the childish treatment but instead curled up and… purred?

"Ciel!" And another man ran down towards them. "What's wrong?" he asked when he reached them. "He's sick, isn't he? I'd thought so earlier, but—"

"He's alright. Don't worry about him. This is normal," the butler assured.

_Normal?_

The girl shook her head. This wasn't her business. She glanced at her watch and jolted a little. She had to get back to the hotel soon or her mother would notice she'd been out. She'd have to look for that little lonely-looking cat she'd seen earlier at a later time.

She turned around and went back the way she came, leaving the two men and the purring boy alone in the empty street.

* * *

"What in the world is wrong with him? This doesn't look normal," Ichigo argued when they were back in the hotel room. Ciel was on his bed, batting around something invisible around the sheets and into the air.

"Nothing that you need to concern yourself with," Sebastian replied uncaringly. He was absorbed in watching his little master play with the black ball. Cats always do love to play around with their food. His young master was _so_ adorable, and he wasn't even fully through his spiritual growth yet.

"Hey, you bastard, I think I have a right to know. I'm the one working with him," Ichigo growled back.

Sebastian sighed, as if giving him an answer was a pointless endeavor that he shouldn't bother with. But he acquiesced, if only to get Ichigo to leave him alone to watch his young master. "He's undergoing his spiritual inheritance," he explained. "My young master, like the prince, is descended from both humans and spirits, but his family is exclusively from one specific spirit line." Oh! Young Master was finally starting to eat his first meal—well, his first supernatural one.

"And what does that have to do with this?" Ichigo was more confused than before. The question was unable to prompt an answer from the very distracted butler who was gazing upon his master with adoring eyes. Any further attempts were responded to with unfriendly silverware.

Young Master would go back to his normal persona once the kitty high wore off anyways; no need to panic.

* * *

The next day, Reborn finally took them around to the Vongola's corporation building. It looked the same as the Cavallone building, except with more floors. The receptionist bowed and waved them through to the large glass elevator once he saw Reborn and Dino. Dino pressed the button to the very top. They were going to start with the boss and work down.

The clear doors of the elevator let them see into each floor that they passed. Workers ran around frantically with stacks of paper, some shouted into phones, _someone_ _held a yellow flame in his hand—_

Dino hurriedly stepped in front and spread his arms as if to block the image that most of them had already seen. Then, realizing how suspicious he must have looked, he folded his arms behind his back casually once the floor had passed. "Ahaha… so…"

"That guy was holding fire," a boy whispered loudly, completely defeating the purpose of whispering.

Dino tried to explain it away. "Well, that was the science department. They're experimenting… with fire. For science." He laughed nervously. In truth, it was the medical ward. Why the patient and doctor were not safely within one of the private rooms was beyond him. He'd have to talk with the head about that.

Thankfully, most of them bought it. Most. Hana was, of course, sharper than most.

They left the elevator at the top floor and met the secretary there. "_Are you waiting for the president?_" he asked.

"_Yes. We are the Cavallone group. I scheduled the time for one o'clock to two_," Reborn announced.

"_Understood, ma'am._" The secretary tapped a few keys and clicked while looking down at the screen of the computer. He sighed. "_I'm sorry, ma'am. The president is still in a meeting. It should've ended half an hour ago. Would you like to wait or schedule for another time?_"

Reborn gritted his teeth. Incompetence irritated him. The discipline here was much too lax. Forget the head; he was no good. He'd have to go to Nono about this. "_We'll wait_," Reborn primly answered. He fluffed out his Leon-fan and delicately fanned himself, preparing himself for the wait.

* * *

_About two hours earlier_

"_Thank you for being so patient, Mr. Uchiha. I'm sorry no one was here earlier this week. The current president… uh… got into an accident and a stand-in had to be found. And so here I am. But don't worry; I am just as capable, in not more than, as the president._"

_This isn't the main building?_ Sasuke wondered incredulously. _But this place is huge._ He coughed to clear his mind. "_It was of no inconvenience to me, so no harm done_," he said. _No, it was _plenty _of inconvenience._

"_Well, that's a relief_," the stand-in president of VTC laughed. "_I fear I would've been in even more trouble if you had. The CEO seems to be losing patience these days_."

"_Of course, of course._" Sasuke nodded understandingly.

"_Really, he didn't have to choose me to do this. So what if the president's broken arms… and legs… were my fault? He shouldn't have been standing so close to me when—_"

The third seated person coughed politely to draw attention to himself. "_If you wouldn't mind, may we bypass the pleasantries and get to the point of this meeting?_" Ciel requested. Sebastian stood rigidly and attentively behind him, watching to make sure Ciel didn't slip back into cat-minded adolescence in front of the company representatives.

"_Oh, yes. I apologize_." The stand-in shook out his hands to get blood flowing and grabbed the papers in front of him. "_First order of business, the shipment requests of Uchiha Confectionaries for our grape stocks._"

* * *

_Present time_

About twenty-five minutes after the group arrived, the secretary called Reborn over and informed him the meeting ended. Reborn then summoned the kids from the spacious waiting room and led them through the hallway to the end, where a finely carved door kept the president's room private. When they got there, the inevitable collision happened.

First, Sasuke strode out of the room, a little pleased with the results of the meeting but not completely satisfied. Sixty percent was a good enough start; he'd wrangle more out of him later. He felt his conduct impressed the president and made it more likely to induce a stronger business bond. Then he'd really have the Vongola in his pocket. His self-congratulations were cut short when he became aware of his classmates loitering outside. He froze. Then he remembered some vague promise of going to the VTC building. _Oh. Was that today?_

"Ooh, Sasuke-kun?" a girl's high-pitched squealed over the din of all of the other students. The side conversations stopped. While Sasuke inwardly panicked at his awkward situation of being found out, Hana contemplatively looked at him.

The second to leave the room was Ciel, followed by Sebastian. At the tail end of the meeting, Ciel almost reverted to a cat-oriented mindset (as his bloodline inheritance had not yet stabilized), but Sebastian managed to calm him down and refocus him on the meeting. He still had to steady himself five minutes after it ended, however.

The meeting turned out to be a waste of time—in terms of Tsuna-related goals. He had asked that "missing cargo" _mistakenly_ taken by Vongola workers be returned, but the stand-in denied it. Either the Vongola were extremely determined to keep Tsuna or the stand-in didn't understand his metaphor. Both seemed likely, judging from the man's absolutely carefree demeanor. Ciel at least secured new stocks for his Funtom candy branch.

Ciel, still feeling rather playful because of his new instincts, made a jab at Sasuke when he saw his quiet panicking. "_Oh, Mr. Uchiha, are these your schoolmates?_" His eyes swept over the interested students who were unabashedly staring at him. His attention was called to as familiar fluffy-haired brunet that didn't even bother trying to hide; Sebastian had inordinately sharp senses. Ciel's mannerism immediately changed to befit his noble station, his inheritance-influenced behavior being pushed aside. "I finally found you, my prince," he whispered in English.

Tsuna smiled thinly. This situation brought up to mind the English saying "out of the pan and into the fire" although he'd suspected they'd run into each other soon. He'd had a foreboding feeling for _days_. "Nice to see you, too, Ciel," he replied, also in English. The spectators were very lost, as their teacher was none too good with English himself.

Lambo finally got through the thick group from where he'd been stuck at the back and struggled to the front. Once there, he looked up curiously at the newcomers. When he saw who they were, he broke out into a smile and yelled, "Hey, it's Catboy!" His brief five-minute stints ten years into the future had allowed him a few chance meetings with the Merithian noble and his cat-loving butler. Most of the later times, Ciel had been agitated whenever Lambo saw him, which caused Ciel's instincts to flare and push him into his spirit form—or was it _because _Ciel saw him? Lambo immediately threw that thought away. No one could possibly feel _worse_ if he was around. Either way, Lambo enjoyed playing with Ciel's fluffed-up tail whenever he could, which was when the butler wasn't coddling his kitty master.

Ciel was startled as the little cow boy suddenly yelled that at him. What cat—?

Then the cow jumped up, aiming to land on his shoulder but never reaching his mark as Sebastian swiped him out of the air mid-leap.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Lambo yelled at the stoic butler.

"Please refrain from assaulting my master," Sebastian calmly requested, making it sound more of a subtle demand. Lambo's struggles were ignored as there was more movement at the doorway.

And the fourth to emerge was someone Tsuna didn't expect to meet anytime soon, if ever. He'd never been around before, after all.

Sawada Iemitsu had finally gathered all of the papers he had scattered all across the table in boredom during the meeting and had them all in hand. Once he had them in some semblance of order, he left the room, but was unable to progress any further because of the blockade of people standing outside in the hallway. Oddly enough, most of them were children. Iemitsu thought his own son would be about this age. Probably. In fact, that boy over there resembled his son, from what he could remember of him in his years-old memory and his outdated photograph kept securely in his true office. Huh. "_What's going on here?_" he questioned as he noticed Phantomhive talking to the boy. From what little of the conversation he managed to glean, they knew each other closely. Closer observations of the boy brought up the portrait of Vongola Primo into his mind. They were eerily similar. And the boy next to him looked a lot like G, who stood next to an Asari look-alike. And the chaperone of the children looked like—no, that _was_ Reborn. Then that must mean…

Tsuna was startled when he was suddenly swept up into unfamiliar arms and swung around like a child. Gokudera looked like he was having an aneurism, Yamamoto laughed, Mukuro and Hibari put a pause on their glare competition, and Fran slipped quietly into the office to peruse files.

"Tsu-chan!" Iemitsu greeted his son he hadn't seen since infanthood. "Look at you! All grown up! And still so cute!" The embarrassing commentary was all said in Japanese, which allowed the bemused students to follow what was happening.

On the side, Reborn was fuming. Not only did his spy fail to inform him about Phantomhive, he somehow managed to miss the CEDEF leader's presence in the same city. Useless _imbecile_.

Tsuna wriggled out of the suffocating grasp and unobtrusively backed up behind Gokudera, seeking shelter from the man who was supposedly his father. As expected, Gokudera bristled at the threat (once he managed to overcome his initial shock).

"Hey, what gives? Tsu-chan, come here and greet your father." Iemitsu held out his arms, expecting the boy to come running to him. When Tsuna stubbornly stayed where he was, Iemitsu sighed. His adorable little Tsu-chan was so shy. So cute! "Aw, don't be like that. Come here."

Iemitsu's approach was stopped by his secretary, who'd come to inform him that his next meeting was going to start in five minutes. "_Eh? So soon?_"

"_Yes, sir. Now, if you don't mind, please prepare your papers. I left them in the folder on the first shelf and the third cabinet._"

Iemitsu tried to wave him away. "_But I do mind. I'm busy. Look at my adorable son! We have some catching up to do._" He gestured to Tsuna, who had yet to budge from behind Gokudera.

The secretary only saw the intimidating glare of the Storm Guardian. The silver-haired boy looked and acted nothing like the Young Lion. He turned back to Iemitsu. "_You can catch up later. I don't believe your son is up to it right now anyways._"

"_But I—_"

"_You have two minutes left, Mr. Sawada._" The secretary forcefully ushered the reluctant stand-in president back into the office, from which Fran had already left.

"_We'll be taking our leave_," Reborn declared to Iemitsu's protesting form. "_Have fun_," he added tauntingly.

"_Wait! Reborn! Where are you staying—?_" Iemitsu tried to draw out the location of his son's temporary residence so that he could visit him later, but Reborn refused to comply.

"_Ciao ciao._" Reborn was still sore about the misinformation regarding Tsuna's life way back when he was supposed to start his tutoring, so any opportunity to give grief to Iemitsu was welcomed.

Incompetence actually helped him in this case. The too-closely-scheduled meetings disallowed Iemitsu from following and pestering them. Maybe he could be more lenient on the secretary, Reborn considered.

* * *

"_Found you_," a dark yet high-pitched voice called out hauntingly.

The spy was soaked in cold sweat, feeling imminent doom approach. He realized the magnitude of the mess-up he made in holding off on reporting. He should've requested a replacement phone earlier.

Reborn stepped out of the shadows, back in his normal suit and fedora. "_So this is where you were hiding_." The tiny figure took a small step forward, and the spy took a matching step back.

They continued the dance of approach and flee, up until the spy ended up with his back trapped against a wall. He gulped. "_Mr. R-Reborn. I wasn't __hiding__. I was just—eh—_"

The characteristic green gun adjusted the hitman's trademark fedora. "_Don't bother_," Reborn interrupted. "_Do you know what your job was? It shouldn't have been so hard to understand_."

Uh oh. Past tense.

"_Mr. Rebor—_" the spy tried desperately.

"_All you had to do was keep an eye out for Merithian people searching for my student_." The gun glinted menacingly. "_And what did __you__ do? You waited until my student was already __in __Italy to tell me that they were here. And on top of that, you let your attention slip enough not to notice that __Iemitsu Sawada__ is here, and you __know__ how flamboyant he can be. Do you know the punishment for failing your duties?_"

The spy was sobbing now. "_Please, Reborn-san. Anything but that! __Anything__!_"

"_Too little, too late_," Reborn callously responded. "_They'll come by in an hour to pick you up_—" Reborn leered. "—_and make sure you don't escape_."

The former-spy cried in despair, and Reborn uncaringly left him behind and exited the hotel room.

* * *

On the sixth day, Dino took the kids back to the VTC building for the tour that they missed yesterday. Tsuna and his Guardians stayed back with Reborn and the Merith group to… _discuss_ their anticipated course of action.

"My orders are to bring the prince back to Merith. You've had your fun with him for this long already. It's time he returns," Ciel demanded.

"Well, _my _orders are to train him up to be the Decimo, and Tsuna has already agreed to it. Would you be willing to go against your prince's wishes?" Reborn goaded.

"He may be my prince, but I have orders from the _king._ And he wants him home," Ciel retaliated.

"Yes, the _retired _king. Isn't the regent queen in charge? Are you sure you know the order of hierarchy?"

"And are _you _aware you can be charged with kidnapping by our law regardless? The prince is still a minor. He can't go off on his own without permission."

"Oh, but wouldn't that be his mother, the _regent queen's _decision, not the king's? And if that's not enough for you, his _father_ wants this as well."

Ciel scoffed. "You mean the father that was never present in the prince's life? Oh, yes, I'm _sure_ he has _plenty_ of say in his decisions," he said sarcastically.

Tsuna interrupted. "Excuse me; may I have my say in this matter?" When greeted with agreeable silence, Tsuna let out a breath of relief. "Thank you. I think it would be a good idea to tell you the terms of our agreement first. It may solve a couple problems." At Ciel's nod, he continued, "The deal was that Reborn would help me turn the Vongola from its bloody past back into its vigilante roots. He trains me to be the next boss, I take over, and I stop unnecessary violence with him at my side. However, he agreed that should it come between the two, I can put my princedom in first priority. Not too bad, right?"

Ciel considered it for a moment. "Yes, but this doesn't solve the problem with the king. Do you know why he rejected the proposal in the first place?"

"He didn't want me out of the castle, let alone in another country. It's a matter of a sense of safety for him. He needs me to ensure the line, but if I go into dangerous business I am threatened," Tsuna explained simply. "You shouldn't worry, though. Reborn won't let me die, and I have my Guardians with me—well, most of them." He wasn't sure what to do about Ryohei yet.

Ciel hummed, thinking. "So all of this was caused by the king overreacting to your disappearance? Is that it?"

Tsuna nodded. "Basically, yes."

There was a silence as Ciel realized the whole order ended up pointless. Tsuna was not in any immediate or foreseeable danger; at least not for now. He would inevitably encounter trouble in the future, but that was to be expected in a mafia life. However, by then Tsuna would have gotten stronger and his so-called Guardians would've matured in power as well. In that case, there really was no need for Tsuna to go back to Merith. Sebastian's gathered information indicated that Reborn was qualified to continue Tsuna's studies outside of Merith, and from the looks of it he was also taking care of the physical training that the king chose to push to the side. Tsuna could learn the royal sword style once he was done with the mafia business (hopefully soon). Tsuna's duties were being diligently taken care of, so he was not strictly needed there either, although a few guiding point would be appreciated, but that could be handled over the internet.

Ciel sighed. He could try to force the issue and get Tsuna to return, but he'd end up leaving soon afterwards. Ciel was familiar with his student's escapes from the castle. No matter how many guards the king posted, Tsuna somehow always managed to slip away, and he got better every time. All of his visits to the nearby districts ended up harmless. Hopefully this one would be, too, or the king would have his head.

"Alright," he decided. "I won't tell the king where you are and I won't follow you anymore around. However," he added, cutting off early cheers, "I would like to know how well-defended you are currently." He looked over the Guardians seated at the table with them, trying to discern the strongest. Hibari's eyes glinted with challenge, and Mukuro laughed disconcertingly. "My condition is that one of your Guardians fight Sebastian. Show me your strength."

* * *

It was decided that the duel would happen back in Japanese home ground, where the fight could happen freely and uninterrupted. Tsuna had never seen Sebastian fight, but he knew the butler was much stronger than his slight appearance suggested. The two more fight-eager Guardians waited anticipatorily for the coming battle, Hibari to prove his alpha strength (which he didn't really need to do as his strength was already widely acknowledged) and Mukuro to one-up Hibari. Gokudera was too busy fretting over Tsuna _now_ to think about _later_, and Yamamoto had no true fighting experience at all. Fran preferred more subtle tactics than head-on fighting, and Lambo was too young and unfamiliar to even consider.

Ciel and Sebastian went back to their hotel room, where Ichigo was waiting and tending to other business. They informed him of the new agreement and easily ignored his demands that they change it to bring Tsuna back. Ichigo didn't trust kids to do his job, and Merith would be safest for his little brother. An hour of ranting let Ichigo calm down enough to agree to accept the outcome of the duel. He hoped Sebastian would prove them unworthy.

The last day of the trip found the students lined up at the airport, waiting for their three extras. A half hour before the flight, the trio arrived with their belongings and…

"Is that a kangaroo?" Gokudera asked incredulously.

Indeed there was a kangaroo poking around behind them.

"Why yes, yes it is," Sebastian helpfully supplied. Tsuna looked questioningly at Ciel. Everyone else followed.

"Don't look at _me_," Ciel growled.

They continued to stare.

"It followed us and it wouldn't leave." At the students' disbelieving gazes, Ciel threw up his hands in exasperation and sighed. "I'm serious."

"It is rather difficult to hide a kangaroo in a hotel, especially considering this one seems to have found a liking to martial arts," Sebastian commented. "I had to fix that door many, _many_ times." And that is why kangaroos should not be allowed to watch TV.

* * *

They were all in the plane now, kangaroo and all. The Merith group joined them in the first class cabin, and Ryohei continuously talked with his sister, providing soothing (loud) background noise.

"I have my guess." Hana shifted in her chair, gathering up her confidence. "It's Uchiha-kun."

Tsuna's eyebrow rose. "Care to explain your reasoning?"

Hana settled comfortably into her chair. "He's obviously rich, seeing that he is already in a high position in his family's company, so he should have been able to fund the trip on his own or with his family's backing. He was at the Vongola meeting room when he should have been with the rest of us, probably to give a courteous thank-you. And he wasn't in _this_ room during the first plane ride so that he wouldn't be seen associating with you and putting even more suspicion on him." Hana spoke confidently, listing off her points. She smirked. "Now, will you please humor me and tell me the purpose of this trip, or was it just for cultural learning?"

Tsuna smiled back at her. "Those are some very fine clues that you analyzed; however, you have reached the wrong conclusion."

Hana stopped smirking.

"Uchiha Sasuke is, in fact, truly not in our circle." Here he gestured to the others strewn casually around the room. "He just happened to have his own agenda that made him look suspicious, and his financial situation had absolutely nothing to do with the… _very_ expensive funding." Tsuna would've been more annoyed at that, but the lost funds would have been regenerated by now. The interest of his bank account alone was enough to regain the money after a few months. "But, yes, I will humor you."

Gokudera made a movement as if to protest, but it was aborted when he caught sight of Tsuna's angelically devious smile.

"That boy over there—" Tsuna pointed to Ciel, who was dozing while leaning against Sebastian, "—is the current head of Funtom. Remember seeing him at the VTC? Make of that what you will." It had absolutely nothing to do with the trip; Ciel's appearance was just a coincidence that ended well for him, but there was no way for Hana to know that. All she'd asked for was something to "humor" her. Well, he gave her something to think about. That was good enough for now.

* * *

_A couple days later..._

"_I said I want __candy__!_"

"_I want brownies!_"

"_Outside!_" another demanded.

"_Buy me __this__!_" And a toy catalogue was shoved into the former-spy's face.

Yes, the informant was demoted into a babysitter. A babysitter for the Vongola famiglia's demonic children—children with guns and lances and tasers and sabers and… The babysitter broke down, crying miserably. A just-fired taser sent a shock into his side. And around him the children kept shouting, demanding, wreaking havoc, pushing over expensive vases that he would have to pay for...

"_Candy!_"

"_Gum!_"

"_I wanna play!_"

* * *

Here is your stupidly, disgustingly long chapter, way over my original goal (about twice as long as a normal chapter). After my AP tests, I was like "I'm going to finish writing this chapter!" And then I got stuck. *facepalm* Sorry, and thank you for your patience. Am I forgiven? It takes me days and hours to write a chapter and my sister can read through it in ten minutes. Meanie.

Jerome Cavallone is a made-up name since I don't know the founder. Next chappy will probably have Nagi (Chrome) and more Urahara. I hope you can tell who the unnamed girl was.

Reborn used Tsuna's money as a lesson to teach him to be careful with his bank accounts. It wouldn't do for Tsuna to lose all of Vongola's money because he had lax security. And I don't think Vongola would've been happy that Reborn used money so freely on something not directly related to the Vongola. Does he even have access?

To Ninazu (and others): Thank you for not being a narrow-minded homophobe.

While looking through my English textbook, I found out that Benjamin Franklin slept more than I do. He went to bed at ten and woke at five.

Happy (USA) Father's Day

Posted: 6/21/15


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Oh, look. It's an update. Catch it before it runs away.

* * *

The plane landed at night, and the tired students (no one was able to sleep with Reborn and Ciel debating on top of Hibari and Mukuro arguing about who would take up the gauntlet, even if the racket was coming through a three-inch thick door) tumbled out of the plane, but at least this time Fran had been too busy fiddling with a small object to create mischief. Reborn called for individual taxis to drop off the students to their homes while he reserved a limo to ferry Tsuna's group and the Merithian group back to the mansion. Of course the kangaroo was coming, too, although it was a hassle to coax the tireless animal into yet another confined space.

The students were to be given a grace period of two days to readjust to the Japanese time zone, so they were due to return to school on Thursday. Small bubbles of students split apart into individual figures as each claimed a taxi, waving their farewells to each other as they did. Ryohei carried his sister on his back, and Hana followed since she lived not far off from them.

Ichigo did the same to Tsuna, who had managed to block out the din and fell asleep in the last eighth of the trip. Ichigo made it obvious that he was ignoring the unrestrained growling of Hibari and the disconcerting chuckles of Mukuro as he passed by them with his precious cargo in his arms. He then conspicuously chose the one seat that was surrounded by people, pushing aside the legs of people in the way to get there. Ichigo shrugged off the threatening glare from Sebastian when he almost jostled his sleeping master; he'd gotten used to it after traveling with the unassuming butler for so long.

Reborn watched the way that Ichigo held Tsuna close to himself, as if he was afraid that if he let go the boy would disappear again. The boy in question lied asleep, comfortably nestled on Ichigo's lap with an arm supporting his head, unaware of the doting gaze from Ichigo and the jealous stares from Mukuro and Hibari.

Mukuro already disliked Ichigo after the orange-haired teen swept Tsunayoshi out of his arms at the airport when he'd _finally_ managed to get a chance at holding him again. And it looked like Tsunayoshi rather enjoyed being held by Ichigo, which was a hit to his pride. Did he like Ichigo more than him, or was it because Tsuna didn't see his guard for so long? Or maybe it was the way Ichigo carried him, sitting upright with one arm supporting him from under and the other keeping his back steady. Admittedly, Mukuro was not yet tall enough to do that with Tsunayoshi, but maybe if he hit a growth spurt… It didn't look like Tsunayoshi would be growing anytime soon, so he was safe on that front. Or would Mist manipulation work better? It would certainly be faster…

Hibari held a _small_—very small, mind—amount of budding respect for the orange-haired intruder. It was evident in his physique, his form, and his evident loyalty that he was fit for his position as a personal guard. His reflexes and speed were not bad either. The indignant expression on Mukuro's face was enough to make up for Ichigo snatching and holding the lynx kit—but only that once. Hibari would not be so lax in allowing contact again, if only because he disliked the unidentifiable uncomfortable feeling that arose in his chest because of it.

Natsu (with Reborn on his back) and Gokudera stayed one step behind Ichigo, also unwilling to let Tsuna out of his eyesight. In one hand the Storm Guardian held Lambo, who was likewise asleep and uncaring of the unstable way he was being moved.

Fran trailed behind them all, still playing with the Vongola authorization stamp he'd filched from the VTC office. He wondered when that idiotic father of the fairy prince would notice. Would he at all?

* * *

With the kangaroo nestled in the large shed in the back of the house, the group proceeded inside to settle in the Merithians.

"Mr. Phantomhive can go into this room." Reborn indicated to a door at the end of the hall. "His butler can room next to him—"

"Ah, I won't need a room," Sebastian interrupted. "If I may, I'd like to stay with my master at all times." He smiled, unaffected by the odd looks he garnered. Ciel himself didn't seem to care where his butler stayed as long as he was within reach.

Reborn continued, unaffected by the unplanned change. "Okay, then. Ichigo-kun—"

"Hah? Why am I '-kun' and they are 'Mr.'? Ciel's even younger than me!" Ichigo complained.

Reborn went on. "Ichi-kun—"

"That's even worse!"

"Ichi will take Mr. Sebastian's rejected room," Reborn finished, rather enjoying Ichigo's reaction to shortening his name. "Lambo can go next to Yamamoto." The crybaby cow would probably be scared in an unfamiliar territory; hopefully the Rain Guardian's Flames would help temper the fear or remove it altogether.

He looked to the still sleeping Tsuna in Ichigo's arms. "Go put Tsuna in his room, Ichi."

Ichigo growled. "Why, you—"

Ciel stopped him. "Go put the prince in his room," he instructed quietly. "He's tired, and I can't imagine it to be very comfortable being held by you."

"Indeed," Sebastian amiably agreed.

"Hey, he never complained before," Ichigo protested even as he went to the indicated door embellished with a soft orange.

"That's because he is much too polite for that," Sebastian countered.

"Or he doesn't think it's uncomfortable," Ichigo responded. He pushed the door open with one hand while he leaned back slightly to keep Tsuna against his chest. The room was simpler than the room in the castle. A four poster bed with heavy brown drapes was set against the middle of a wall, and a nightstand with a framed photo sat next to it. Numerous spherical lamps hung down at various lengths from the ceiling and gave off a beautiful glow, gently illuminating the spacious room.

A window on the far wall gave a view of the front yard, which confused Ichigo because, if he remembered correctly, Tsuna's room was in the core of the house. Ichigo walked to the bed and drew back the covers, deposited Tsuna under them, and smoothed them back down. He fluffed the pillows a little and lightly ruffled Tsuna's hair before going to investigate the out-of-place window. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was actually a TV screen fitted with window frames. Judging by the angle, the video most likely came from a camera hanging on the edge of the roof. Knowing Tsuna, the prince didn't like the feeling of being trapped in an enclosed room and requested the false window. It gave the feeling of freedom, even if he was unable to actually open it (or slip out of it).

With his curiosity satisfied, he walked back out of the room, giving one last look toward Tsuna before quietly shutting the door.

* * *

The next day, Tsuna woke early and pushed back the covers, getting up out of the comfy bed and to the door. Natsu lifted himself off the bed and followed. The lion was up to Tsuna's chest; he was possibly large enough to ride. As Tsuna walked, he summoned a large ball of soft Flames in one hand and held it out to Natsu. The lion gratefully padded forward and quickly swallowed it all down, licking Tsuna's palm afterwards. Tsuna scratched behind Natsu's ear, earning a delighted purr and a playful push. He laughed quietly and proceeded down the stairs to make breakfast.

However, when he arrived in the kitchen, he found Sebastian already there and preparing a veritable morning feast. "Good morning, Sebastian," he greeted. "I should have known you would get here before me."

"Good morning, little prince," Sebastian replied as he flipped three pancakes and whisked more batter. "If you would please wait in the dining room, breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. There is tea ready, if you'd like."

"Is there jasmine?" Tsuna asked.

"The pot should be on the far left," the butler answered.

"Thank you." Tsuna left the kitchen and went through the door that joined it to the dining room. Ciel was already there, drinking his customary Earl Grey.

Tsuna and Ciel greeted each other, and Tsuna poured himself a cup of tea while waiting. Natsu sat down next to him, nudging against his free hand to petition for more Flames. Tsuna just stroked his head as he held a quiet conversation with Ciel. More people trickled in, yawning out good mornings and seating themselves at the table.

Ichigo appeared last, just as Sebastian finished setting down the platters of pancakes and syrup. "Good morni—WHAT IS THAT?!" Ichigo shouted once he saw the fiery lion.

All others seated at the table were entirely unconcerned about the harmless (for now) appearing feline; however, Ichigo didn't notice as his guard instincts overtook everything else. There was an unknown animal (spirit?) that he knew nothing about in his charge's house.

"Uh," Tsuna attempted to speak, drawing attention to himself.

The close proximity of Tsuna to the lion startled Ichigo, so he rushed forward, surprising everyone with how fast he moved, and caught Tsuna in his arms, quickly retreating to a safe distance afterwards.

"Kufufu…" Mukuro raised a hand and waved it toward Natsu, who did not appreciate his human being taken away and crouched into an attacking stance. The illusionist layered the dog illusion back onto the lion. Unlike the adolescent puppy he'd been masked as just a week before, Natsu was now a fully grown German shepherd with formidable flashing fangs.

The sight of a dog was preferable over the visage of a wild animal, even if the dog looked incensed. Ichigo relaxed minutely but still did not relinquish his grasp on Tsuna. "What, it's just a dog? Geez, don't do that," he told Mukuro, figuring that Mukuro had cast an illusion of a lion on a dog.

"You want me to take the illusion away?" Mukuro playfully asked; he knew that Ichigo had the situation backwards. "If you insist…" He let his Flames melt away, revealing Natsu as an unusually large fox. Mukuro was momentarily confused until a slight movement to his left reminded him of Fran. He materialized the head of his trident and stabbed Fran's arm, breaking his concentration.

"Ow. That hurts, Mukuro-senpai," Fran monotonously complained, but he didn't look to be actually hurt. There was not a hint of blood, even though the tines of the trident seemed to be embedded in his flesh at least an inch deep.

"Don't try to play with me, impertinent brat," Mukuro hissed back. He tugged back his weapon and tossed it to the side, not bothering to watch it shatter from existence as it destabilized into Flames.

"But you said to practice my Mist Flames whenever I have a chance to," Fran countered. "Did you forget?"

As Fran and Mukuro dissolved into petty squabbling, Tsuna managed to squirm away from Ichigo and back to Natsu, who was once again in his natural form. "He's not dangerous," Tsuna explained to Ichigo when the guard looked ready to protest, "at least not to me." To prove this, Natsu purred and lovingly rubbed his head against Tsuna's cheek. The fiery mane didn't burn Tsuna at all, not even the hand that was completely buried in it.

Mukuro's temper snapped and he swept his hand out to form his traditional trident. Fran lowered himself and backed away slightly to give himself room to evade the coming swipes. Then Hibari got excited and brought out his tonfas, leaping into the impromptu fight. Meanwhile, Tsuna and Natsu cuddled each other on the floor. Everyone at the table commenced eating, completely unaffected by the crumbling walls and splintering floor. And Ichigo watched it all with a bemused expression.

* * *

After the meal and contacting the repairmen, Tsuna and Reborn retreated to Tsuna's room, followed by Natsu, to discuss the Varia problem. However, Natsu's troubled breathing claimed Tsuna's attention not to long after they got in. "Reborn, I think there's something wrong with Natsu." Tsuna's nervous voice cut through the air.

Reborn turned away from his Leon-phone to look at the lion. "Mm. You're right," he agreed with one short glance.

Natsu was stumbling around on unsteady feet and heaving as if in pain. Soon afterwards, he collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Natsu!" Tsuna cried out worriedly. He slid off his bed and ran to the fallen lion.

Natsu continued to dry heave as if something was stuck in his throat. Tsuna's knees hit the floor next to Natsu as he ran comforting hands over the lion's still blazing mane. Tsuna lit Flames in both hands and presented them to Natsu, but the lion turned his head away, rejecting the offer, which was even more worrying since Natsu had never refused Tsuna's Flames. He kept coughing, and Tsuna anxiously waited for something dreadful to happen, feeling helpless as he didn't know what to do. Eventually, Natsu gave one last loud cough… and something spherical was spit out. Once Natsu regained his breath, he shakily stood up, picked up the orange sphere in his mouth, and tiredly but proudly presented it to Tsuna, who stared at it in awe. The gem looked to be an orange ruby with finely cut facets, glinting brightly from energy inside and reflecting natural light from outside.

"Is this…?" Tsuna stared at the glowing gem with reverence. He cupped his hands around it, not yet touching it, wanting explicit permission first. "Natsu, really? You mean it?" At the lion's nod, Tsuna gently plucked the gem from Natsu's mouth, cradling it comfortably in his palms. "Thank you." Tsuna hugged the fiery lion's neck, and the large feline reciprocated the gesture with his normal affectionate nuzzle against his neck and a heavy paw on one shoulder. The gem glittered warmly, exuding a comfortable aura.

Reborn watched it all with vague confusion, although he did not show it. "What just happened, Tsuna?"

Tsuna continued to snuggle with his newly bonded spirit partner, and Reborn not so patiently waited as the little prince safely tucked away the precious gem. Eventually, Natsu went away to sleep off his exhaustion and Tsuna sat back on his bed. "I think he's not a Flame creation anymore—well, at least not completely," Tsuna amended. "That gem you saw is what spirits give to their chosen partners. It allows the human to borrow the spirit's power. Natsu is now, at the least, a spirit hybrid. If he's a true spirit, he'll continue to exist after I'm gone. If he's a hybrid, it's possible that he'll disappear once I die. The outcome of a hybrid's life once its bonded partner dies is not clear. I only know of a few cases in which this happened, but I learned of them from old books, so the information may not be accurate. There was a giant, explosive clay doll that went into hibernation once its creator died. A legend about Hyorinmaru—the ice dragon of Hitsugaya—claims that he only bonds with the soul who created him, which might actually explain why all of Hyorinmaru's partners were said to be similar in nature. There was a human corpse that was turned into a wooden doll and was said to be a spirit, but he fell apart once the lady that made him was arrested and accidentally killed; that occurred in Britain, if I recall correctly."

Reborn considered this quietly. "Does this negatively affect you in any way?" he inquired objectively.

Tsuna shook his head. "Not at all. In fact, this strengthens me. As I said before, I can now borrow Natsu's power. Of course, I'll have to practice with him to see what his new skills are as a spirit. It looks like he just recently came into spirithood. What's odd is that he's still a lion. Most spirits tend to have a humanoid form."

* * *

"Again!" Tsuyoshi shouted at his son. Takeshi made a slight grimace as he swung the bokken down.

Once Takeshi came back from Italy, he immediately asked his father to train him in the ways of the sword, knowing that his old man was an accomplished swordsman of some sort, although he did not know how much. Both the early incident with the airport thugs and the later failed robbery of the Cavallone Company had scared him when he became aware of the possibility of his friends getting hurt and his inability to prevent it. For the first time in his life, he'd been overcome with raging fury when that worthless man grabbed Tsuna's wrist. He'd wanted to snap his filthy hands to force him to relinquish his grasp. Thankfully, Hibari took care of him quickly, and Yamamoto felt absolutely no pity when the man collapsed. For the entire fight, he held Tsuna, which he didn't mind, but he wished he was able to do more. It looked fun, too.

Then the woman in the Cavallone building turned up with a knife and a gun. He had no way to counter that except with his body, so Yamamoto turned and grabbed Gokudera and Tsuna, pushing them behind him. He saw that Gokudera had his fireworks, ready to throw them at their assailant (_But isn't that dangerous?_). He was relieved when Dino-san retaliated faster and disarmed the lady with a quick snap of his wrist. Looking around afterwards, he saw Hibari ready to fight as usual and Mukuro right next to him with his own weapon out. Ryohei stood protectively in front of his sister. Even that emotionless trickster had something up his sleeve. It felt like he was the only one in the group that was unable to fight; it made him feel weak, even though he knew that he was physically stronger than most high school students.

So he sought training. He already knew that swordsmanship came naturally to him when he informally tried several stances with a bokken a couple years back and his father praised him for his uncultivated abilities. It might even be why he was so good at baseball. To his surprise, his father just took one long look at him, assessing his resolve, and agreed.

The training was brutal. Takeshi was physically primed already, so strength training at this stage was unnecessary. Tsuyoshi set his son to learning the basics first, hoping to get through them as fast as possible without losing effectiveness. He'd planned to build Takeshi's skills up slowly, but Reborn's call gave that plan a quick death; the Varia were coming. Tsuyoshi had seen the famed hitman wandering around town before; he was usually with a small brunet, probably the Vongola heir if the underground rumors were true.

And Takeshi was now mixed up in their affairs. Tsuyoshi had tried hard to draw his family out of the underground, but if this was his son's free will, there was nothing to be done, and he couldn't begrudge him for it. All he could do now is train his son to surpass him, to reach his full potential as a swordsman and a Rain wielder.

* * *

Nagi had been experiencing a lot of good fortune lately. She'd managed to find the black cat—ironic considering black cats were a symbol of bad luck—and coax her to the hotel she was staying at. A few days later, when her mother discovered the cat lazing on her bed in the afternoon sunlight, she was permitted to keep her. Even if she was a stray that no one would claim, it was odd that her mother had no protest in her taking the cat in. Usually her mother was much stricter, even for small matters as taking care of a lost animal. But not only was she allowed to _keep_ the cat, she was provided a lavishly decorated collar and nutritious food for the cat. Her mother even paid the fee to have her transported back to their home in Japan.

Nagi happily coddled the cat, overjoyed that she finally had a friend, a _true _friend that wouldn't seek her attention for her money. After all, she was the innocent rich heiress of Suzuki Inc., a seemingly perfect target for gold diggers.

She named the cat Fortuna because of her recent streak of luck. Perhaps her life would be happier from now on. Her mother might start to look at her like she was a daughter and not just an heiress to pass her company onto. She could find more friends. Nagi fell asleep, contentedly dreaming while hugging Fortuna.

The cat's golden gaze looked out the window at the clouds floating past underneath the plane. She was almost back to Namimori.

* * *

In the afternoon, Tsuna sent Gokudera to summon everyone to the backyard, or rather, the large empty field behind the mansion. Natsu dozed in the low hanging branches of a large apple tree nearby with the kangaroo circling underneath while the people gathered at a far off round stone pavilion. Once in a while, Natsu flicked off an apple with a huge paw and the kangaroo punched the falling fruit, nibbling on the fragmented pieces afterwards.

"Now…" Sebastian lightly adjusted his white gloves. "Who will be fighting me today?"

Fran turned away, uninterested at the prospect. He knew he was too weak to attempt at the moment. Perhaps after Pineapple-senpai taught him more he would be ready. For now he'd bow out.

Yamamoto was also happy to step aside. While he was making quick progress in his training with his father, he was aware he was not quite battle ready yet, and certainly not one of this caliber.

Hibari, confident in his strength, stepped up. "I—"

"That'd be me," Mukuro interrupted. At Hibari's glare, he simply laughed. "Oh, don't be so angry. I'd be a better match against him." And it was true. While Hibari would win in a fight of brute strength, Mukuro won in strategy, and a victory against Sebastian would definitely depend more on the latter.

"Care to prove that?" Hibari silently slipped out his tonfas, eager for a fight.

"Kufufu… If you wish…" Gleaming silver tines twisted through the air and straightened into sharp points.

The Rain Guardian stepped up. "Now, now, why don't we all calm down?" Yamamoto attempted to assuage the ever-present tension between the Cloud and Mist, but it seemed they were immune to his normally effective aura. Hibari's and Mukuro's Flames that were subconsciously leaking into their surroundings burned right through Yamamoto's untrained Rain Flames, destroying the soothing property before it reached them.

Tsuna casually trotted in between the bristling teens right before they took a swung at each other. The attacks were prematurely stopped as each diverted their weapons to the side to avoid hitting Tsuna. Hibari's tonfa slashed the air hard enough to produce an air current as Mukuro's trident gouged the ground. Mukuro flashed an irritated gaze at him while Hibari growled lowly; the kit was supposed to stay out of trouble while he took care of the danger—or in this case, the _right_ to take care of the danger.

"Let's not act so immaturely, hm?" Tsuna suggested. "We only need one good fight against Sebastian. No need to fight each other to get it. Both of you spar frequently anyways. I know you're not lacking in an outlet; the repair bills testify to that." And why was _he_ the one to pay them? Hibari was certainly not short on money _and_ he did the most damage.

Reborn pushed himself off a support beam overhead and fell softly onto Tsuna's head. "Today, Michaelis-san will spar with…" His gaze swept over them unconcernedly before ending at the leering Mist. "…Mukuro."

Hibari growled and stalked toward Tsuna, intent on _persuading_ the baby on his head to change his mind. Reborn, having already predicted his actions, jumped from Tsuna to Hibari's shoulder once he was close enough. "Just watch," he commanded Hibari. "You'll understand why soon. Besides," Reborn said with a slight grin, "you might not be fighting right now, but you'll still enjoy it."

Intrigued—not that he showed it—Hibari willingly backed out of his previous threatening composure. He straightened his posture from his fight-ready stance and walked to a chair, elegantly dropping himself into it and sprawling his arms comfortably on the armrests. Reborn abandoned his post on Hibari and settled back on Tsuna while Hibird flew in and claimed his spot in Hibari's hair. Hibari still somehow managed to give off the appearance and aura of a deadly king even with the cute bird twittering happily into his ear.

Meanwhile, Mukuro and Sebastian left the pavilion's stone floor and moved a ways away enough to prevent the risk of potential backlash from hitting their spectators.

Sebastian pleasantly smiled at his child opponent. "Just to be clear, you are not required to defeat me. In fact, it is very likely that you will fail," he warned, still smiling as if they were having a delightful conversation. "My young master wishes only to see your capabilities. Be warned; if you are deemed insufficient, the young prince will be returning with us."

"Oya? Is that so? In that case, I'll have to prevent that."

And the battle commenced.

* * *

Indeed, the battle _was_ interesting to watch, Hibari mused. The butler was surprisingly adept at fighting. He used _cutlery_ of all things with a notable preference to silver knives followed by forks. On the other side, the irritating herbivore used his usual trident and sporadic bursts of illusions to attempt to trap and hinder the quick-footed opponent. It seemed even with vines and streams of lava pursuing him the butler did not feel pressured or concerned. The vines were only able to keep hold of their target's limbs for a scant two seconds before they were slashed away. It was entertaining to see the herbivore struggle and get angry when his foe did not bend the way he wanted. Hibari still preferred fighting over watching, however. The challenge the butler presented was exciting. He wanted to fight him, too.

He understood the baby's concerns. Unlike the Mist herbivore, he had yet to unlock his own power (which he was only vaguely aware of bubbling under his skin when the taste of battle was nigh) yet alone utilize it effectively. Still, he could've gotten some fun out of it. The butler was surprisingly fast for someone supposedly in a serving occupation and was well versed in the art of fighting; perhaps he doubled as a bodyguard.

In order not to miss out on future fights, he'd have to make an effort in harnessing his hidden power. First he had to find out what it is.

* * *

"Not too bad," Ciel admitted once he called for the mock fight to end. The two fighters stood across from each other, still poised with their weapons, ready to implement an attack. "Alright. I've decided. From what I've seen, you have two Guardians that are battle-ready to an extent." He gave an acknowledging nod to Hibari and Mukuro. "The rest… are lacking."

Gokudera bristled from where he stood next to Tsuna. "Are you implying I'm not good enough for Tsuna-sama?" he growled. Even Yamamoto looked ticked off by the comment; his usual grin had an undercurrent of frigidness.

Ciel shrugged. "All I've seen from you are some flashy shows of dynamite, which is dangerous to use in close combat; you're not suited for defense at all. And you," he directed at Yamamoto, "I haven't seen fight at all. All you've proved to be is a mood maker when there's too much volatility."

Yamamoto laughed stiffly. "That may be true," he allowed, "but believe it or not, I've started my own training."

"Eh? Really, Yamamoto-kun?" Tsuna asked, surprised.

"Un! My tou-san is teaching me the arts of the sword. He tells me that I'm good at it," Yamamoto replied.

"Regardless, you're not able to protect him at this point in time," Ciel interrupted. "How would you be able to handle a dangerous situation?"

"It's okay right now," Yamamoto refuted. "I trust Mukuro…to some extent… and Hibari has been protecting all of Namimori for years. Even if I'm not ready right now, I will be soon. I want to be able to protect my friends, too," he said sincerely.

"Is that so?" Ciel mused. Yamamoto nodded enthusiastically. Ciel looked over the others again.

Gokudera, volatile though he is, was undeniably loyal to a fault. He had no hesitation in putting himself in danger if he caught a hint of Tsuna approaching undesirable situations. And although his bombs may not be good for defense, they worked well for large area ranged offense, useful in times with many enemies at once. Ciel had no definitive grasp on the little cow boy; all he knew was that the child filled the position of Lightning Guardian and had some sort of time-traveling device, odd even in Merithian standards. The boy was rather attached to Tsuna, however, so it was safe to assume that Tsuna would have a dependable Lightning Guardian in the future. Fran, another Mist user, seemed to have no particular loyalty to anyone, which at least meant he was not a spy against Tsuna. He enjoyed setting people off for his own amusement (which could be potentially dangerous) but did not purposely pick fights like Hibari. His abilities were still budding under the covert tutelage of Mukuro, whose skills were much more advanced. Overall, the rest of Tsuna's current Guardians had the _potential_ to be great, but they were not yet developed enough to be trusted to Tsuna on the same level as the fight-prone duo.

Ciel smiled slightly. "Alright." He approached Tsuna. "Prince, I am happy that you have gathered compatible companions. Although they are not all strong now"—Gokudera growled again—"I have confidence that they will grow to be reliable."

Tsuna huffed amusedly at his Storm's easily provoked temper. "Thank you, Ciel. May I assume I have your support?"

Ciel leaned forward to bow and whispered, "Yes, my prince."

* * *

Nagi knew she shouldn't disobey her mother, but she had a feeling that she just _had_ to go outside today, so she snuck past the concierge that she knew reported to her mother whenever she left the penthouse. Once outside, she cuddled Fortuna closer to her body, unsure what to do now that she was out. Uncertainly, she started to walk down the street to a park she knew was nearby. It'd been a while since she'd been to one, and she was sure Fortuna would appreciate the opportunity to play and hunt in the long grass, too. After all, Fortuna used to be a street cat; the small feline was probably sick of being stuck inside, just like she was.

Fifteen minutes later, she acknowledged she was lost. Either she took too many right turns or this was not the way to the park at all. Timidly, she approached a lone teenager and asked for directions. She was pointed to the left. Yep. Too many rights _and _she was supposed to have crossed the street two turns back. She thanked the person and went back.

The crossroads she ended up at was fairly empty; it was located in an area where hardly any pedestrians came by unless there was an organized event at the park, so most of the time drivers were much more lax on this particular street than most others in Namimori.

It was why there was also the highest number of hit-and-runs in the place even though foot traffic was somewhat rare.

So when Fortuna suddenly struggled in her arms, managed to slip out, and tried to run across the street, the truck driver that was coming down saw neither the cat nor the girl that ran after her.

* * *

"Fortuna!" Nagi gasped as her pet ran into the street, heedless of the danger. Without thinking—because she just _could not_ lose her first friend like this—she followed the cat into the street, hoping to reach her in time.

Unfortunately, since the truck driver did not slow down at all and Nagi was physically inept and unable to move fast enough, it looked like both of them were going to get hit by the speeding vehicle.

However, an unexpected presence cut short Nagi's growing sense of despair. A shadowed presence leaped out in front of them with astounding speed, scooped them up securely, and retreated just as fast as it went in, pulling them away in the nick of time. While Sebastian patted down the girl and set the cat back into her arms (after fawning over Fortuna, of course), Mukuro silently stalked the truck until a couple blocks away, where he caused a _minor_ car accident by tripping up one of the front wheels. The driver was startled and with minor injuries, but at least not _dead _like he would've made that girl because of his carelessness.

"Sebastian! Did you get her?" Tsuna yelled as he ran to where they stood. Behind him was an assortment of teens, also panicked from almost witnessing a tragedy.

Sebastian straightened up from his crouch in front of the girl and stepped out of the way so that the prince could see she was fine. "Of course. What kind of Phantomhive butler would I be if I could not save a girl a quarter of a second away from her doom?"

Tsuna panted as he skidded to a stop in front of them. "I think… a pretty normal one… Although right now… I'm thankful… you're not normal," he huffed out in stuttered breaths.

"Good job, Sebastian," Ciel commended from where he was saddled on Natsu. (He was absolutely unable to keep up with everyone else's pace of running and stamina, so before Sebastian left his master's side, Ciel was plopped onto the lion's back.) "Is she okay?" A cursory look over the girl suggested she was fine, if stunned. A closer look brought a feeling of faint remembrance as if he'd seen her before, but he couldn't quite remember where.

"Yes, it appears so," Sebastian confirmed, sensing but choosing to disregard his master's curiosity. "However, she has been shocked by the experience. I believe it would be a good idea to take her to the comforts of her home and explain the situation to her parents."

"What was up with that driver?" Ichigo complained. "That was definitely over the speed limit!"

Fortuna's eyes glinted.

"We'll take care of that later," Tsuna murmured distractedly once he caught his breath. "For now we should calm the girl down." Tsuna knelt down in front of her, to the half-hearted protests of Gokudera. "Excuse me, miss, Can you tell us your name?"

"S-Suzuki Nagi," she haltingly said.

"Thank you, Suzuki-san. Can you give us directions to where you live? I'm sorry if this disturbs you, but I can assure you we have no malicious intents."

"Um… No…" Nagi answered quietly. At Tsuna's crestfallen face—he thought she thought he was going to do something bad—she quickly reassured him. "N-not because of what you're thinking of. I just… I don't know where. I'm not usually allowed out of the house."

Tsuna could empathize; feelings of freedom rarely came in the fully scheduled days in the castle, so "making" his own break times was the only way to get away from feeling trapped. Suzuki-san probably experienced something similar if he was interpreting her body language correctly.

"Well, that's unfortunate," he sighed out. "The address then…?" he extended hopefully. At Nagi's negative shake of her head, Tsuna hummed thoughtfully and crossed his arms behind himself. "How about we go to my house then? You can rest there for a while and we can find out what to do from there."

"Is that alright?" Nagi hesitantly asked. Fortuna purred soothingly to assuage her nervousness.

Tsuna nodded. "Yes. We were on our way home from grocery shopping. It's a bit far, though. Oh! You can ride on Natsu," he suggested. At his human's mention of his name, Natsu sauntered forward, giving a contented rumble as Tsuna patted his head. "He's completely safe. Usually."

* * *

Nagi stared wide-eyed at the sprawling mansion in the less populated area of Namimori. She'd never been in this section; she never had a reason to and neither had her mother. Nagi lived near the center where there was more commerce and people. Here it was noticeably emptier. She also heard rumors regarding the general area that explained why it was so barren; apparently a demon lived nearby and… bit people to death? She looked around. Other than a quaint mansion and another house some hundred meters away—more natively styled—there was nothing there. Absolutely nothing was present to suggest the location of an alleged demon.

"We're here. Sebastian, can you…?" Tsuna waved to Nagi.

The man that Nagi thought she saw in Italy before walked to her after a short bow. "Of course." He pulled her into a bridal hold and promptly placed her on her feet. He did the same to Ciel, who'd been sitting in front of Nagi. Sebastian then took the grocery bags from Tsuna while the boy fished out a card and swiped through the verification security box at the gate. It beeped softly before the gates silently pulled themselves open. Tsuna took out another key for the front door and discreetly pressed his thumb to the identification pad on the underside of the handle.

"Welcome," Tsuna said mock-dramatically, gesturing to the richly built interior of the house. It brought a small smile to Nagi's lips. "Let's get settled down, shall we? The leisure room should be fine."

Lambo immediately leapt for the game consoles while Sebastian fetched the afternoon snacks. Tsuna claimed his customary armchair, and Gokudera followed to sit on the couch closest to him.

As Sebastian came back to set up the cookies and tea on the coffee table, Mukuro strolled in, acting as if he hadn't come in abnormally late. Tsuna noticed his satisfied smile and asked himself, "Do I want to know?" The thought was immediately discarded as he considered viable explanations. Nope. He could do without the stress.

* * *

Nagi told them her story, how she'd just wanted to be outside for a little bit and forget about being the obedient daughter for her mother. Tsuna was sympathetic to her feelings; it really was quite boring and monotonous to be locked in a dictated agenda. Odd as it was, Tsuna found that he was freer than Nagi was. In Merith, he'd had small windows of time in which _he_ could choose what to do. Nagi had no such breaks. From what time she woke up, what clothes to wear, what events she would attend—all of it was decided by her mother. Today was the first deviance she had in _years_, other than the recent short jaunts outside in Italy.

"She… uh… she even arranged a marriage for me," Nagi confessed.

Tsuna was surprised. "At this age?" He was referring to both Nagi's youth and the contemporary time era. An arranged marriage was just not done anymore, not even in Merith with its monarchy.

"Yes… B-but Ritsu-kun is not a bad person. His mother is also heavy-handed. He told me he already had… um… someone he's interested in. He doesn't want the marriage either."

Could adults seriously be this greedy? It sounded like they were attempting a merge of companies through forcing a future marriage between their children, who both were not even out of middle school yet. It was not something a loving mother would do. At first Tsuna thought Nagi's mother kept her inside to keep her safe, but now it sounded like it was to make sure she was too weak, unsure, and compliant to escape her fate.

Tsuna exhaled an exasperated breath. Trouble seemed to like to congregate around him. Within three months of leaving Merith, he'd led an emu army (and successfully conquered previously lost emu territory), amassed a group of friends with dubious senses of safety (because no, it was not okay to break into a yakuza's base for _fun_, no matter how weak the men were), and was well on his way of becoming an untraditional mafia boss (but at least_ that _he'd voluntarily signed up for). And now, after hearing Nagi's story, he was going to get mixed into a familial affair that was rife with unnecessary drama and unfair treatment of children. Sebastian already found her home address, her mother's workplace and phone number, and even her alleged fiancée's contact information.

…Not that he thought he'd need it.

A little ways away from the main group sat Hibari, who had his customary cold look on that made him look perpetually angry (or bloodthirsty). The disciplinary head was not too pleased that something like this had been happening in _his_ territory. Children were not slaves to be caged and given away when convenient. He cast a side glance at the lynx kit. If he didn't do anything about it, _he_ would.

Similarly to the Cloud, the Mist also quietly roiled in anger. Parents should _care_ for their children, not use them as they see fit. It was a sore spot for Mukuro considering what _his_ own parents had done to him. He felt a kinship to Nagi-chan. Sure, she might not have almost _died_ from how she was treated, but she certainly was as unhappy as he had been. And unlike him, she could not get out of her situation on her own. He could help her…

* * *

After dinner that night, Tsuna picked up the remote and turned on the TV. It flashed bright white before settling onto a news video feed of a car accident. Huh. Apparently it occurred close to the park they'd passed by earlier.

"—_the driver was miraculously unharmed. However, the truck was completely totaled and irreparable. The driver, who was reportedly speeding, will serve some time in…"_

"…"

* * *

In the morning, Sebastian woke everyone up after finishing the preparations for breakfast, and after the wake-up meal, they set out to leave. Nagi was dressed in clothes that Sebastian got who-knows-when. Tsuna was certain that the dark violet lace dress didn't exist in the mansion before this morning, so he probably went to town at the crack of dawn to purchase it or he fashioned it himself in that amount of time; it was a plausible feat for him. Tsuna managed to persuade his friends into wearing somewhat formal clothes basically consisting of pressed slacks and dress shirts. Again, Sebastian had somehow predicted the need for them and procured the necessary clothes. Tsuna considered getting a butler for himself.

Sebastian herded the large group of teens into the limo he'd called for and sat beside his master after slipping the address to the driver. Appearances were important for this encounter, so Tsuna thought it was a good call for the butler to have summoned the limo. They needed to project an image of responsibility and respect… and perhaps in accordance to that thought it wasn't a good idea to bring Fran; the boy would probably tip over an expensive vase just to see the lady scream, not that Tsuna would stop him. Nagi's mother had no redeeming sides so far, and he rather wanted to know how much of a big deal she would make of it. Her degree of reaction could be used to judge how materialistic she is, but the recounts from Nagi should already be sufficient to conclude that the woman cared more for reputation and wealth than her daughter.

At least he'd had the foresight to ask Gokudera to stay behind and look after Lambo. Of course the Storm Guardian had protested, but he reluctantly backed off when Tsuna explained that Lambo would be better off quietly (the definition of "quiet" in this case was questionable) staying in the mansion, and someone had to watch over him. Nagi was for sure going, Ciel was needed for diplomacy, Sebastian was a given, Yamamoto might've been needed to keep the situation level, Hibari was a definite _no_, Fran would have rather seen how many wings of the mansion he could ruin (and with Lambo's hidden explosives, it would've been a lot), and Mukuro was oddly determined to go, leaving only Gokudera as the feasible option. (And Gokudera being there would probably destroy the purpose of Yamamoto being there, as Gokudera acted as a temper intensifier; he was quite volatile himself, after all).

So the motley group disembarked in front of one of the taller buildings in Namimori, the place that Nagi wandered away from. The lobby was mostly empty of people, save for the concierge and a woman ranting on her phone. However, once the woman caught sight of them standing at the door, she snapped her phone shut and stormed over to them. She reached through the group and firmly placed her hand on Nagi's shoulder. The girl herself looked rather resigned to what would happen. It worried Tsuna.

"Nagi! Where have you been? I told you to stay inside, didn't I? I almost called the police over you!" the woman scolded.

"Yes, Mother. Sorry, Mother," Nagi softly intoned as if used to being reprimanded.

So this was Nagi's mother. She was very different from Nagi in personality, although he could definitely see some similarities in appearances, the most notable being the violet hair. The older woman was dressed in professional yet elegant clothes, but even so, that was not able to hide the repugnant attitude toward her daughter.

"You go back up, young lady, and stay in your room. Letting you keep that cat made you think you can do what you want, hm? Maybe I'll throw it back out," the mother callously threatened.

"N-no, Mother, that is unnecessary. I'll be going up now…" With that, Nagi shyly departed, walking to the elevator with Fortuna held closely to her chest as if afraid that her mother would snatch the cat away.

Tsuna watched the girl leave, and then turned his attention back to the woman still standing in front of them. "And who are you people?" she rudely demanded. The group may have looked to be from the upper class, but they were all still just _children_.

Tsuna ruffled through the inner pocket of his suit jacket (he went full-out formal) and withdrew a business card. "I am Vin Jameson," he said confidently as he passed her the card.

Ciel stepped up, too. "Ciel Phantomhive." He passed her his own card.

What was up with the cards? It was like the kids were playing a game of grown-ups. But weren't they too old for that? The woman looked at the cards. _Vin Jameson, head of Le Château Royal Wine Company_ was written on one card. _Ciel Phantomhive, owner of Funtom Company_ was imprinted on the other. The names niggled at her memory. One was of a top-brand for fruit-based alcohol; the other was of a high-class confectionary and toy business. Immediately, her attitude changed.

"O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you. Here." She pulled out her card case and took out two of her own business cards to give to the _two kids who were somehow more successful than her_. If she played this right, she could get more political power and prestige by manipulating these two. They were still young, so they must still be pliant enough to be swayed by an adult's words. "I am Suzuki Miyako, the current head of Suzuki Inc. Thank you for looking after my daughter."

Tsuna put on a fake smile that Suzuki-san obviously did not think to be false, as she returned with her own smile (evidently fake). "It was no problem, miss. She was very polite to us, and it would have been simply wrong for us to leave her lost where we found her."

"I worry very much for that girl," Suzuki-san sighed. "She gets into so much trouble. Whenever I turn around, she's gotten into something else. I mean just last week, she wandered around in dangerous land"—Tsuna scoffed inwardly; that part of Italy was no problem—"and even brought in a stray. Do you know how many diseases it could've carried?" She looked disgusted.

"Yes, that is very… unfortunate," Ciel finished, unsure if the word he chose actually fit his sentiments. It didn't.

"We had a conversation last night, actually, about her life here. She didn't see very happy. I'm sorry if this offends you, but that's what I felt," Tsuna said cautiously when he saw the flash of irritation in the woman's eyes. From the side, he saw Yamamoto take a small step forward at Reborn's slight nudge from behind. Suzuki-san's momentary anger disappeared. "If I may make a suggestion, perhaps it would benefit you both to let—" ah, he couldn't call her Suzuki-san anymore "—Nagi-san have more freedom in her life?"

Suzuki-san turned cool toward him again. "Like what?"

"Well, for one, it is excessive to demand that she stay inside all of the time, isn't it? She can't meet new people and make friends like that."

"She accompanies me to social functions and meets _decent_ people there," Suzuki-san snobbishly declared.

"Those are more of business partners than friends, Suzuki-san. Do you allow her to meet those acquaintances in a casual setting?"

"No. She doesn't need it."

_I beg to differ. _"And what is the problem with going outside? It looks like she's barely seen the sun."

"She has a window," Suzuki-san flippantly dismissed.

_Like that's enough for a growing girl. What is she; a plant?_ Tsuna shook his head. "Nagi-san told me about Onodera-san."

"Ritsu-kun is a good boy. He will take good care of Nagi when they marry."

"But neither of them want to. Do you not see a problem in that?" Tsuna pressed.

Reborn pushed Yamamoto forward again, but it was too late. Suzuki-san finally had enough. It was evident that this was all that was in the boys' minds and there was nothing more to work with. She couldn't give in to make them more susceptible to her suggestions either since that would undo her work of molding Nagi to be a compliant daughter and wife. She exploded, "Enough of this! I am her mother! I know what's best for her, and you will not bother me with this any longer. Please leave before I report you."

"I—" Tsuna tried.

Next to him, Ciel also protested. "This is not—"

"_Leave,_" Suzuki-san coldly cut off.

Left with no choice, Tsuna backed down. "Come on," he signaled to his discontent friends.

Dinner tasted unsatisfactory that night.

* * *

The next day, Tsuna despondently went downstairs at the resounding doorbell sounding off. Yesterday was horrible. Everyone was frustrated that they were unable to do anything to help the unhappy girl and Mukuro became absolutely a nightmare to deal with.

"_I want her to be happy, too, but legally, there is nothing we can do, Mukuro."_

"_Then maybe we should do something _il_legal," he suggested. "If you're too squeamish, pretend you don't know or see me do anything about it."_

"_No, you can't do that," Tsuna sighed. "Do you want the police on your tail?"_

"_They can't see through my illusions," Mukuro boasted._

"_Then what about the Vindice? They won't be too happy that you used Flames on civilians," Tsuna reminded. At that, Mukuro fell silent._

_Tsuna looked at the Mist user. Mukuro sat tensely in his chair, white-knuckled with anger. At this rate, Mukuro really would do something illegal and he'd be unable to hold him back. Tsuna sighed, giving in. "Don't worry. I'll do something."_

Except he didn't know what _something_ he could do. As he'd said, there were no legal options unless he could prove that Suzuki-san was abusing her daughter, but that was very unlikely. As for illegal measures… there were plenty. Mukuro certainly would not be adverse to planting evidence…

The doorbell rang again. "Coming," Tsuna called out. He undid the five locks—three were installed after Ichigo demanded it—and pulled open the door.

And there stood Nagi with Fortuna at her heels.

"Good morning," she said with a short bow. Fortuna mewled.

Surprised but not willing to be hindered by the emotion, Tsuna returned the greeting. "Good morning, Nagi-san. How…?"

Nagi gave him a minute smile. "Mukuro-sama taught me how to pick locks and sneak through shadows."

* * *

So Nagi joined the group after running away from her mother. Mukuro had discovered that she had the Mist affinity and linked their minds together during the night she stayed over. During that night, he taught her less-than-ethical means of survival (including how to steal), and the following night he formulated a plan for her escape. Evidently it worked very well. Mukuro was not surprised at all to see Nagi at the breakfast table that morning.

Mukuro took over the task of settling her in. She was given the room next to Chikusa, and for two hours, neither of them was seen. Later, when they emerged from Mukuro's room, Suzuki Nagi was renamed Dokuro Chrome and had a hairstyle similar to Mukuro—for disguising purposes, Mukuro claimed. Tsuna admitted it would be bad if Nagi was recognized and reported, so he allowed it.

Besides, it's not like he _coerced_ Nagi to run away; it was her choice. So he was not in the wrong, right? Right.

* * *

Tsuna signed the final contract, finalizing his purchases of all of the apartments, condos, and the like in Namimori. With this, he could evict Suzuki-san from her—now his—penthouse and she'd be unable to find any place of residence willing to house her. Tsuna would get extra money from renting out the buildings and Suzuki-san would be forced to move out of Namimori, reducing the chances of Nagi being dragged back into her stilted life. Not bad.

* * *

"I am Dokuro Chrome. Please take care of me," she politely said in the front of the class. Like the rest of the "transfers", she was directed to a seat in the back, which she was happy with.

Having had private tutors all her life, Nagi—now Chrome—was unused to the ways of a public school. She was also nervous around large crowds since the private functions she'd been to had much smaller gatherings, so she clung to either Tsuna or Mukuro, whoever was closer or available. She was fond of both of them—Tsuna for standing up for her, and Mukuro for ultimately getting her away. However, she was slowly starting to warm up to the others as well. Yamamoto especially was easy to get close to, even if his large size was somewhat intimidating.

Overall, she was very content with her new life.

* * *

The day Natsu took humanoid form was… surprising. Just a week after Natsu gave Tsuna his soul gem, he burst out into gentle Sky Flames (thankfully while not inside the mansion), which enveloped his body. Once the Flames receded, Natsu stood in the likeness of Tsuna—plus his original lion parts, naturally.

Nearby, Reborn compared the two. They could've been twins if Natsu didn't have animalistic characteristics and was not only limited to only saying "Gao!" Natsu would gain the ability to speak once he was older, but he was still much too young for it now.

"Gack!" Tsuna was knocked over yet again and Natsu pounced on him, not quite used to the human form. He was attempting to do what Fran had demonstrated and called a "glomp."

Hm. Natsu still had the mentality of a young lion. Fascinating.

* * *

When Tsuna came back from school, he was not expecting to see… this. Ciel was curled up in his butler's lap, who was sitting in a recliner, and was nibbling on something that Tsuna could not see. Across the room stood a twenty-odd-years-old Reborn, who for once was showing mild surprise on his face, and from the looks of it he'd been standing there for a while.

"Explanation, please," Tsuna prompted. He collapsed into an armchair and dropped his schoolbag at his feet.

"Wow, kids sure do grow up fast. Don't they, Tsuna?" Yamamoto said. He laughed as he went to the kitchen for a snack. Tsuna dearly hoped he was joking. He couldn't be _this_ dense…

"Young Master got hungry again, so he took some of Reborn-san's miasma. I doubt that he minds, so there is no problem to worry about," Sebastian said while he carefully balanced Ciel so he would not fall. Tsuna blinked. Wait… were those _cat ears?_ Oh, and a tail to match. Delightful.

Sebastian caught Tsuna's incredulous look and chuckled quietly. "He is a type of good-luck cat. Here, they are called maneki neko. According to legend, they supposedly bring good luck, but what really happens is they eat malicious miasma, making the people unable to experience misfortune for a while until they accumulate enough of the miasma again, which collects naturally from the environment. Curses are just one particular form of miasma. However, as you can see, Reborn-san is not quite free of his curse."

"Why is that?" Reborn finally spoke.

"Ah, well, Master Ciel is still in his adolescent stage, so he can't handle the entirety of your curse at once yet. He's not hungry enough to want to either."

"And how is he a maneki?" Tsuna asked. "The last time I checked, he was a human."

"The prince is not the only mixed blood of human and spirit. The Phantomhives are descended from luck cats. Unlike the prince, however, my master is more spirit than human. It has to do with the spiritual equilibrium of the world. Other than bocchan, all of the other maneki nekos returned to the spiritual plane for an undisclosed reason. Perhaps they simply got tired of life here or the catnip fields there were restored. I believe it's the latter. Anyways, since there was a deficiency of maneki nekos in this world, those that had traces of luck cats in their blood underwent the slow gradual process of turning into spirits. Unfortunately, Vincent Phantomhive was killed before he could be fully turned. His son is currently the last on Earth. When bocchan matures, he'll become a full spirit. It's the opposite of what happened to your lion. He'll gain his animal form."

"How do you _know_ all this?" Tsuna was baffled. He hadn't known, and _he _was the one that handled the spiritual interactions in the kingdom.

"I myself am not human," Sebastian revealed.

"And _that _explains a lot," Tsuna muttered. It really did.

"I am, in fact, a spirit called a Yatagarasu. We traditionally guide the maneki nekos to the best sources of miasma. The others of my kind followed the cats into the spiritual realm, but I stayed because, while I adore cats of all types, I wanted to raise my own kitten." Here he petted Ciel's head, who did not seem to notice or care as he continued to eat the so-called miasma, which Tsuna still couldn't see. "You can't deny that my bocchan is adorable. Such a proud, regal personality, yet still childishly cute at times."

Tsuna chose not to answer. If Ciel was still coherent and he did answer in the affirmative, he could expect an increased workload in the future.

Sebastian finished, "I am a Yatagarasu, a 'guiding light' for lucky cats. My element is the void—emptiness, the same as Ichigo-kun."

By this time, Ciel had finished with the miasma and was now curled into a tighter ball as he batted at his own tail.

The butler smothered a laugh when he saw what his charge was doing. "Master Ciel will be a little hyper for a while. Please endure it," he asked of Tsuna.

Apparently, _hyper_ meant tearing up the wooden floor with bared claws while running, chasing the kangaroo up and down the "backyard", wrestling around with human-form-Natsu for three hours straight, and then finally having his body balance out the new energy levels to regain control of himself. Ciel was understandably embarrassed when he got back into his right sense of mind.

* * *

A short gasp from Chrome drew their attention toward her. "Wait! Fortuna!" she cried out.

The black cat slinked away in a hurry. It was uncharacteristic of her; she normally stayed by Chrome's side whenever she could. Every pair of eyes followed the black cat, taking note of the strange behaviour of the usually obedient cat. Chrome quickly followed Fortuna, dragging everyone out of their thoughts. Tsuna leapt out of his own seat and followed the running cat, prompting everyone else to run after him. Fortuna jumped out of the house through the kitchen window, so Tsuna rushed to follow through the front door. He saw the cat slip in between the bars of the gated fence and hurried to get it open. Chrome was noticeably struggling to keep up, so he told her, "Don't worry! I'll find out what's wrong!"

Chrome startled a little, but then a slight smile quirked up. "I'll leave it to you," she whispered as she fell back. Tsuna continued to run but waved to her to indicate he heard her.

Now the people running were Sebastian with Ciel in his grasp, Ichigo close to him, Gokudera on his other side, Yamamoto just behind him, Hibari bounding ahead, Mukuro not far behind, Reborn easily keeping pace with his larger body, and for some reason the kangaroo as well.

Hold on. Didn't that mean Fran and Lambo were left together?

Oh, whatever. He'd deal with whatever damage that resulted later. He made a promise to Chrome and he was not going to break it, even at the cost of the mansion. He knew how much Fortuna meant to her.

Fortuna was not too far away; that meant they were at least keeping pace with her. Hibari was running at a slightly faster pace, so it was possible he could cut off Fortuna's route and turn her back their way. However, just as Hibari was about to do so, Fortuna suddenly veered to the side, evading Hibari and escaping into a narrow alleyway. Hibari smoothly transitioned into a turn, following Fortuna closely. Tsuna kept up decently; Reborn's training, while not particularly _safe_ all the time (or even most of the time), did its job of preparing him physically.

"Yo, Tsuna! Going on a jog? How extreme of you! Mind if I join you?" someone yelled from behind him. The thundering footsteps caught up to him quickly and fell in step right next to him. As he thought, it was Ryohei-nii-san. He must've been on his second afternoon jogging session.

"You're welcome to do what you wish," Tsuna replied. "We're chasing a cat right now."

"What?! A cat?! Why?!"

"She's a friend's cat. She suddenly decided to run away, so now we're chasing her." Tsuna panted lightly. It was a little difficult to run and talk at the same time. He already felt out of breath, but that might've been because he ran from the outskirts to the middle of town at top speed.

"That is extreme of you! I will help you!" Ryohei offered/demanded.

Tsuna smiled. Ryohei-nii-san's way of speech amused him. He nodded.

The area they were running through was vaguely familiar, enough to recognize some landmarks but not enough to place exactly where they were. Up ahead, Hibari skidded to a stop. Tsuna slipped a little when he tried to stop running abruptly and would've fallen over if Ryohei-nii-san hadn't caught him in time.

"Ah, thank you," Tsuna said once he regained his balance. "Hibari-san, why'd you stop? Where's Fortuna?"

One slim finger pointed in the direction of an empty lot with only an old looking candy shop in it. Wasn't this…?

"Urahara Shouten," Reborn said out loud. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from him?"

"It wasn't _my_ choice," Tsuna protested. "Anyways, we still have to find Fortuna."

"Urahara?" Ichigo tilted his head questioningly. "Is it _that_ Urahara?" he asked himself.

This time, Tsuna took up the lead and placidly approached the building. Reborn walked beside him and made Leon transform into a gun. Tsuna slid the wooden doors open and entered the building. "Excuse me," he called out. "Is anyone there?"

The room, filled with shelves of miscellaneous candy, was devoid of people, but just a few seconds later, the sound of light footsteps from the backroom got louder as a person came closer. The door slid open, revealing the sandy blond from much earlier. "Welcome again, little prince! And you've brought many of your friends, too! Wonderful!"

Ichigo looked the most surprised by the cheerful greeting. "Getaboushi?! You're here, too?" Or because of who it was.

The man replied simply, "Yes."

That threw Ichigo into a short rant. "What is up with this town? All of the abnormal people seem to come here. Next you're going to tell me that Toshiro is here, too."

The shopkeeper plucked a large lollipop from a display and unwrapped it. "Actually, Hitsugaya-kun left five days ago. To Hokkaido, I think. He looked like he was enjoying his vacation." He happily took a long lick of the candy.

And now Ichigo was exasperated. "He's not supposed to be on _vacation_."

Urahara looked like that was news to him. "Huh? He's not?"

Ichigo's eye twitched, looking like he wanted to facepalm, but he refrained. "Meh, whatever," he dismissed as he waved a hand. "I can trust he's doing his job. You, on the other hand, are out of place. Really, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be collecting data on the species growth in District 42."

"Eh? Urahara-san is from Merith?" Tsuna muttered to himself.

"How cruel, Ichigo. Saying that makes me think you're not happy to see me." Urahara faked a sniffle, pretending to be sad, although the smile he was unsuccessfully trying to hide with his lollipop said otherwise. A dangerous twitch from Ichigo made him break out into laughter. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you," he relented. "That is, if you're able to beat me in a fight."

Ichigo growled, "Challenge accepted."

Just as the orange-haired teen was about to pass him, Tsuna reached out and grabbed a sleeve. "Wait. Urahara-san, did you, by any chance, see a black cat run through here?"

"A black cat? Bad luck, bad luck they are. Many cats run through here, though, so maybe, unless you're talking about my sweet little Yoruichi. Ah! Yoruichi, my darling! Come here~" he cooed.

From behind a shelf, Fortuna stepped out into open space. She mewled before padding over to Urahara, who had his arms outstretched to her. "My wonderful Yoruichi! Aren't you just the greatest?" he praised.

"Fortuna?" Tsuna asked, now thoroughly confused. "But Chrome found her in Italy. How did she get all the way over there?"

"I was on a recon mission. Ichigo was taking so long to get here that I went looking for him," an unfamiliar male voice said.

Gokudera gasped. "The cat speaks!"

Yamamoto laughed. "That's amazing! Isn't it, Tsuna?"

"What an extreme cat!"

Tsuna was getting a headache. "Fortuna—Yoruichi?—is a female cat. But she talks, in a male voice, no less." Tsuna looked at Reborn from the corner of his eyes. "I'm not going insane, am I?"

Urahara snapped open a fan he pulled out from his sleeve and used it to more effectively cover his amused grin. "No, of course not, little prince. That'd be bad for the whole kingdom, and then where would we be? But you should be able to guess how Yoruichi can talk. She's Merithian, after all."

Tsuna caught on quickly. "So she's also a spirit?"

Urahara snapped shut the fan, revealing his broad grin. "Got it in one!"

Yoruichi lightly stepped off of Kisuke's lap and sat on the floor next to him. "Nice to meet you, Tsunayoshi la Alsveith. I am Shihouin Yoruichi of the Bakeneko line."

Tsuna looked speculatively at Ciel, who was still being comfortably held by Sebastian. Yoruichi saw who he was looking at and continued, "Basically, I'm the opposite of that kitten over there. I can curse people; he takes away the curses. Oh, but don't worry." She snorted when Reborn frowned slightly. "I only curse the people that I really dislike."

"Now that that's over with, let's move on," Urahara declared. He pulled a tatami mat loose to reveal a ladder and a passageway going deep down and stood to the side, inviting them through. "Shall we?"

* * *

"Huh? What is this? A huge hidden training room existed under the shop? I'm shocked!" Urahara yelled, probably just to hear the echo. Judging from Yoruichi's expression (for a cat, she was pretty expressive), it wasn't the first time either.

"This is against regulations, herbivore." Hibari was ticked off. Not good.

"Oh, don't be so stringent," Urahara flippantly dismissed. "It's not hurting anyone. How about this then? I'll let you use it sometimes." Hibari was suddenly much more receptive to the room. Figures. "Ah, but don't break all the boulders. It's getting hard to find replacements around here." Tsuna innocently turned away.

The underground room was enormous; it exceeded the boundaries of the shop and the lot. Several kilometers of empty space extended from the ladder onward. It also took a while to get down from the ladder since it was so long; the ceiling was very high. The walls and ceiling were painted a light blue and the ground was made up of hard trodden dirt to give the illusion that they were actually outside. It was a little unsettling, as if reality was broken. Tsuna had a feeling that if Fran ever met Urahara, he would have a field day.

"Okay, Ichigo. As I said before, I'll answer your questions if you can beat me." The shopkeeper approached a nearby boulder and picked up a cane that had been leaning against it. "Are you ready?"

Ichigo raised his large sword (and where had he hidden _that?_) and got into a stance, indicating that he was. Tsuna ushered the non-combatants to the side, not wanting to be caught in the fight.

All of them watched as Urahara gripped the top of his cane and withdrew a sword. So the cane was actually a sword. Sneaky. "Come at me!" he goaded.

And so the fight started.

* * *

From the sidelines, the group watched the two swordsman clash again and again. Yamamoto observed them especially speculatively, taking note of their grip and movements as they came together and broke apart.

Tsuna approached Sebastian, who had yet to relinquish his grasp of Ciel, who did not seem to mind. "Sebastian, did you…?" he started hesitantly.

Sebastian picked up what he was trying to ask easily. "Yes, I was aware that Fortuna was not an ordinary cat."

Tsuna deadpanned. "Why didn't you _say_ anything?"

The butler shrugged noncommittally. "No one asked."

"This is an extreme place!" Ryohei appreciatively commented. Then a thought trickled into his mind. "Hey! Do any of you want to spar with me?!"

Yamamoto was absorbed in the sword match and either did not hear the loud proposition or chose not to respond. Gokudera shrugged him off at once, not wanting to deal with the loud musclebrain. Hibari held off on accepting, knowing that if he did then Ryohei would immediately pick up on his fighting prowess (as if he hadn't already) and offer him a spot in his boxing club, which actually had grown a little from the time Tsuna discussed about it nearly two months ago. Mukuro was visibly disinterested with the idea of fighting him and instead went back to subtly ruffling Tsuna's soft hair.

The kangaroo had no such qualms with accepting a match, so the destruction-happy kangaroo and the excitable boxer went to their own corner to have a friendly spar. Twenty seconds in and they already shattered a boulder.

"He's not going to win," Reborn offhandedly said while watching the Ichigo-Urahara fight.

Tsuna looked back at them. From his point of view, it looked like Ichigo was faring decently against the shopkeeper. "How do you figure?"

Reborn stared intensely at Urahara. The man seemed to have felt his gaze; Urahara pushed Ichigo back and waved cheerily at Reborn. Reborn frowned. "I fought him before."

"What? When?" Wow, this week was just full of revelations and weird occurrences. Well, it explained certain things at least. If _Reborn _was wary of Urahara, then he must be a proficient fighter. And if that was the case, then Urahara was just playing around right now.

"It was a while ago for a mission by the Vongola. Back when…" Reborn looked down at himself. He was still some years off his original age, but at least it wasn't a baby's body.

Tsuna took note of Reborn's unwillingness to continue talking and silenced himself. Tsuna didn't protest when Reborn leaned back and laid his head in Tsuna's lap. They continued to watch the fights.

* * *

The first time he tried to link with Zangetsu was shortly after he was made Tsuna's guard. He'd followed his father's words and let Zangetsu take a place in his mind, but something went wrong. What neither of them had known at the time was that Zangetsu was an anomaly. The wolf had a corruption factor; it disallowed Ichigo from fully linking with the spirit without losing control of his mind to the tainted section of Zangetsu's mentality, so Isshin forbid Ichigo from trying it again before looking further into the cause. However, that was years ago. Perhaps he messed up back then or the darkness was gone now. It was becoming evident that Ichigo couldn't beat Urahara without more help. He just wanted to win now, but the small boost that Zangetsu was able to give him at the current level was not enough. He'd try the merge again…

"Oh? Ichigo, that's not good," Urahara warned when he noticed the dark aura gathering around the teen.

The hardheaded teen ignored the warning and proceeded to let Zangetsu take up more space in his mind.

And he promptly lost control.

The creeping feeling of malevolence trickled in again, bringing with it urges to fight, maim, rend—

Urahara hit his hand harshly, making Ichigo let go of his sword and the black of his sclera bleed away. His connection to Zangetsu was disrupted. "That's no good, Ichigo. I told you not to do that, didn't I? Your father did, too."

Ichigo lowered his head, accepting both the loss and the reprimand. A hand came down on his head, pushing it down slightly but not painfully. "There's a reason for everything. We both knew you wouldn't be able to control whatever it was, and you just proved me right. Cocky brat. You can't jump into everything headfirst. Think things through before you do something foolish like this."

Ichigo huffed. "I get it, Getaboushi. Don't do it again, right?"

"No." Ichigo snapped his head up, dislodging the hand. "I didn't say never do it again. I was going to say don't do it without training for it first. Really, Ichigo, you should let me finish what I'm saying before you go and draw conclusions. Troublesome kid you are." Urahara ruffled Ichigo's hair as if he was a dog. "You lost the fight, but I'll tell you anyways. You're the reason I came here, after all, even though you took much longer than I thought you would. I found out the issue with Zangetsu."

Ichigo looked offended at that statement. "Zangetsu's not an _issue_, if that's what you're implying."

Urahara shook his head. "I didn't mean that. It's a naturally occurring phenomenon, albeit a rare one. It crops up once in a while in spirits that are Void-aligned. Hirako-san told me about it and how to get around it. It'll take a lot of training, from what he said, but it'll be well worth it. You'll be able to fully connect with your spirit, and the Void element apparently gives another boost, too."

Yamamoto sidled up to Urahara. "Ne, would you mind training me, too? I have no idea what you were just talking about, but I just want to get better at sword fighting."

Urahara considered it and responded, "I have no problems with it. How about Reborn-san?" Reborn lazily waved at him, showing he was free to do what he wanted. Urahara shrugged. "Okay, then. Come by when you're able." He smirked. "I'll train the both of you into the ground."

* * *

Later that day, Ryohei and the kangaroo relocated to the mansion and got an extended invitation to visit when he wanted to spar again. The boxer was fond of his new sparring partner and didn't say no to seeing Tsuna again. Yamamoto and Ichigo started their training, with Yamamoto practicing against Ichigo while the latter tried to concentrate in finding the lines of the Void in Zangetsu at the same time. Reborn was less hostile toward Urahara now that he knew the shady man had no motives in harming his student. Tsuna went back to the mansion (the damage there was surprisingly minimal, with only one blown up oven from when Fran tried to bake and Lambo sneaked a couple sparklers into the pan) to escort Chrome to Urahara Shouten. She still needed to see Fortuna. Tsuna explained what happened there while they walked to the shop. Now she stood in front of the cat lying sprawled on top of a boulder. "Yo-Yoruichi-san?"

"Hm?"

Chrome blushed, unable to say what she'd wanted to ask. Fortunately, Yoruichi knew her unasked question.

"Yeah, this is my home, with that idiot over there. This is where I belong." She pointed to a pouty Urahara sulking in the corner after he was punched in the face by Ichigo. She laughed at him but stopped abruptly when she saw Chrome's downcast expression. "Oh, don't be so sad. You don't need me anymore, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come now, you aren't blind. Look around you. You have friends willing to side with you, protect you, and fight alongside you. It's not like I'm needed anymore. I was just a substitute, or a placeholder until you found your real friends. Right?" She smiled blindingly at the girl, who shyly returned the smile.

"Right."

* * *

_Snap._

"Oh. Leon's tail fell off."

* * *

About the (over a month) late update: summer makes me sleepy. I napped a lot. It would be lame of me to quit on my first fic, so rest (somewhat) assured; I will (probably) finish this. Yeah… curse life. I still haven't started over-summer work.

Canon doesn't give a name for Nagi's mother. In this fic, Nagi's mother runs a publishing company; she's not an actress (or whatever she is in canon). Her latest husband is… hmm… suspiciously missing. Her first husband also mysteriously disappeared after writing everything to her name. Chrome is not crippled. I took away one of her canon characteristics. So many people comment on the meeting with Bel. Now I feel nervous about writing it…

My sister said that Sebastian should've knelt on the ground and let Nagi use him as a stepping stool to get off of Natsu. I said no. I had to have my sister's help to remember the word "handle". I feel so smart right now.

To **thor94**: (_smile_) Good idea. I have something planned for that _way_ later.

To **Arco-Alaude**: Critique noted. Thank you. I was wondering what happened to all the dialogue in the story; I forgot it all… (to myself) _Idiot. _Well, hopefully you're more satisfied with this chapter. I forced myself to remember to write more dialogue.

So it has come to my attention (from reading fics and watching my sister) that the norm is to respond to individual reviews… Unfortunately, I am not the most sociable creature and find interactions awkward; therefore, I limit responses to queries. I'm sorry… I also came to realize there was a convenient little reply icon on the reviews. I feel like a derp. Such a derp. Well, since I tend not to reply, should I make a commemorative thank-you list of the reviewers at the bottom instead? That seems to be another norm that I've missed out on.

Posted: 7/28/15


	14. Chapter 14

Yes~ Here is an update from the queen of trash~ Uh… advice for high schoolers—this might sound very obvious, but there was someone (waves hand) dumb enough to do it: Don't take six AP classes at once. You will die. I don't know when I'll be able to update again, so don't be surprised if I disappear for a while.

I finished writing this instead of doing my homework. What does that say about my work ethics?

* * *

Natsu didn't like to wear clothes. That was a problem.

Tsuna desperately tried to catch his animalistic counterpart as the lion-turned-human streaked through the mansion, hoping to hide him away before he flashed someone—again.

He wasn't even talking about when Natsu first shifted into his humanoid form, for which Reborn was present—and Tsuna was really embarrassed because Natsu's new body was a scarily accurate duplicate of his own, _and Reborn saw everything—_

Ahem.

The first time, Tsuna wasn't even immediately aware that Natsu had managed to wriggle out of his clothes. Tsuna had given him a plain t-shirt and shorts, not bothering with a hat to hide his lion ears nor wristbands to cover the bands of flames that encircled his wrists since they weren't going out and had no need to cover the abnormal attributes that were remnants of his purely animal form.

After struggling to help his wriggling body double into the clothes, Tsuna briefly left Natsu in his bedroom to go fetch a few slices of honey cake as a treat to console the pouting Natsu. However, when he came back, all he found was a pile of torn, discarded clothes and no Natsu.

Hurriedly, Tsuna dashed out of the room to track Natsu down. He found the purring spirit in the lap of a very happy Mukuro. With a red face, Tsuna stammered out excuses to Mukuro, who was chuckling and admiring the view, while he tried to pull Natsu off of his lap. He eventually managed to get the stubborn lion boy back into his room and into clothes again.

For all of ten minutes.

They had been eating the cake he got earlier. Tsuna only bent down to pick up the napkin he dropped—it was three seconds _at most_—and Natsu was gone. He rushed off to find his errant lion, hoping that the embarrassing situation of before wouldn't be repeated.

It did.

With Hibari.

Natsu had somehow managed to wriggle his way next to Hibari on his windowsill perch and was comfortably snuggled up to him in the fifteen minutes it took to find him. Hibari wasn't punishing him like he would most other people. Tsuna pushed that thought out of his mind and steeled himself, ready to face the intimidation of Hibari, who was contentedly petting Natsu's soft hair and playing with his fluffy ears. Thankfully he left the tail alone. Tsuna was sure he would've burst into a flustered shade of red again if he did.

So Tsuna coaxed Natsu from his warm spot next to their unofficial guard dog and hurried him back to the room once they were what he deemed a safe distance away.

Hibari watched the little lynx nudge the lion cub around, finding the sight to be adorable as the cub whined and protested and the kit almost whined back.

So for the third time, Tsuna had Natsu nestled back in his room, trying to get him into a shirt. He caught the lion in the process of tearing the garment apart as he half-turned to pick up the pair of pants on his bed.

Tsuna was close to giving up—no one seemed to mind his naked form anyways, and wasn't that odd?—when Natsu fixed his problem by choosing to shift back into his purely lion form. Tsuna collapsed on his bed in exhaustion and relief. Now why didn't he think of that earlier? He berated himself as the happy lion leaped onto the bed and settled next to him, purring gently as he lapped at Tsuna's cheek.

Now he just had to be careful of when the capricious lion decided to change forms again.

* * *

Tsuna inadvertently found out that Fran liked frogs.

The two of them had been going on a grocery run together, and on the way back they passed by a pet shop. Usually the shop's window was filled with puppies tumbling around together, enticing customers with their terrifying cuteness to come and buy them, but for some reason there was instead a tank willed with frogs floating about in water.

Tsuna was used to averting his eyes as he passed by the shop, lest he be tempted by the deadly cute eyes of the puppies. Once on a business trip in Tokyo, he was almost pulled in by the large blue eyes of an Alaskan malamute puppy that had been abandoned in a box thrown in an alleyway, but just before he gave in, a blue-haired boy caught sight of the quietly whining dog and took it, box and all. It wasn't the space or money that was an issue; rather, it was the already volatile mix that resided in the mansion. The kangaroo wasn't much of a problem because he stayed outside for the most part. Hibird was generally left alone by all. Chrome had the habit of taking in stray cats and sequestering them in her room (she and Sebastian cooed over their adorableness together), and Tsuna wasn't sure how a dog may affect the come-and-go tendencies of the cats that made Chrome happy. He didn't want to chance getting a dog if it held the possibility of repelling Chrome's source of joy.

When he noticed that Fran had stopped, he was forced to turn around and approach the shop front. Fran was sitting there, having a serious staring contest with one of the larger frogs. Tsuna silently stood, hoping that Fran would finish whatever he was doing so that they could get out of the way of other pedestrians (and stop being the recipients of so many weird looks).

One minute later, Fran blinked. He nodded to himself, as if he decided something in his mind. "You are a formidable opponent," Fran declared. Then he entered the store, and before Tsuna could finish scrambling to pick up all of the groceries Fran had discarded, the green-haired boy emerged, the frog in hand.

Tsuna sighed, choosing not to comment or protest. They continued homeward, with Tsuna struggling to carry all of the groceries and Fran monotonously praising his new frog he unimaginatively named Kerosuke.

The Sky hired a contractor to build a pond in the front yard as Fran had requested—or rather, Tsuna had done so after Fran had started to dig up some of the grass to make one. Within days, some wild frogs gathered and made the new pond their home, with Kerosuke ruling over the domain like a king. They'd had to construct a fence around the whole area once one of Chrome's cats came prowling around.

At least Fran was less prone to ill-conceived mischief now that he was distracted by the frogs.

* * *

"Honey, I'm ho—AH!" The blond man leaped back and ducked as a pie with a questionable scent trail was thrown at his face. Instead of meeting its target—the man's face—it hit the door and ate through the wood. It plopped onto the paved landing on the other side and started to burn through that, too.

"Oh, it's just you," a woman's voice noted, pulling him out of his near-death reverie. "Sawada Iemitsu. You didn't call ahead."

Iemitsu pointed a finger at the woman leaning casually on the door frame. "Why would I need to call ahead? This is _my_ house. And who are you?" he demanded.

She raised a brow. "Oh, Reborn didn't tell you? I am Bianchi, the Poison Scorpion. I live here." She flipped her hair as she turned and made to go back to the kitchen to continue making a delightful feast for her dear Reborn. He said he and the Vongola heir were going to come back soon for a while. This must be why.

Iemitsu was dumbstruck. "Since _when?_ And where is my family?" Hurriedly, he toed off his shoes in the genkan and followed her.

Bianchi tipped her head to the side minutely to make eye contact again. "Your family?" she asked. "If you're referring to the little prince, he's with Reborn."

_Prince? _The only prince he could think of was Bel, the Varia officer with a disturbing amount of bloodlust. And he meant _family _family, not _mafia _family. Then Iemitsu blanched. _Bel's been seen by Bianchi? So the Varia are here already._ Before he could ask another question, a soft voice interrupted.

"Bianchi-san, I thought I asked you to leave the cooking to me."

Bianchi nonchalantly faced the little baby, unabashed at being caught, and remarked, "But your food is always too spicy."

Ah. The Storm Arcobaleno was here, too. Delightful. Who's next? Colonnello?

* * *

After seeing Iemitsu looking stunned while standing just barely past the genkan, Fon thought it a good idea to pay Tsuna a personal visit to warn him that his father was here. It'd been a while since he saw him, what with Reborn suddenly deciding he wanted to hog all of the training sessions this week in addition to the week-long Italy-related absence.

Fon and I-pin, after making several detours to make sure they weren't followed, walked to Tsuna's mansion and vaulted over the high gate with a running leap. Come to think of it, this would be his first time inside the mansion. Usually, Tsuna would wait for him behind the mansion to do their training there.

Fon hopped up the stairs leading up to the front door and rang the bell, taking a few steps back afterwards so that he'd be able to see the person's face without killing his neck. Patiently he waited as Tsuna's distinct footsteps got closer. Hm… he'd have to focus on teaching Tsuna stealth.

The door opened and Tsuna's soft smile greeted him. Fon smiled back. "Good afternoon, Tsuna-kun."

"It's nice to see you, Fon-san." Tsuna tilted his head in slight confusion. "I thought we weren't meeting this week." He stepped to the side and opened the door more widely, a silent gesture to enter.

The red-clothed baby-sized figure took the unspoken invitation and took a step in. "You're right. I came to tell you—" Then out of the corner of his eyes, Fon saw movement behind Tsuna and twisted a little to better see who it was. "Geh!" Fon choked a little in surprise.

Curious to see who it was that made Fon startle, Tsuna turned around, not seeing Fon scramble back out the door, I-pin following close behind. Hibari was crossing the entrance hall to go to the kitchen, probably to get lunch before going on patrol. His minor curiosity sated, Tsuna turned back to the door, but Fon and I-pin were not there anymore. _Eh? Where'd they go? _He swept his gaze from behind him back to the door. They weren't there. He shrugged, not quite knowing what to do in this situation, but before he even thought to close the door, the pair returned. Oddly enough, Fon was wearing winter clothes that completely covered his body and somehow was now taller than he was, though he still had the round face of a baby.

Tsuna blinked. "Uh… what are you doing, Fo—"

"Shush." I-pin jumped up and pressed her hand onto his mouth. Gravity pulled her back down and dislodged her hand from Tsuna's mouth.

…This was getting weird. "Why? Fo—" he tried again.

I-pin jumped and covered his mouth a second time. "Shush," she repeated.

Fon adjusted the hat and the round glasses that covered most of his face. "Sorry, Tsunayoshi-kun, but would you mind not saying my name right now? There's a bit of trouble that might happen if you do."

Thinking back to what happened just seconds before, Tsuna asked, "Is it related to Hibari-san?"

"Yes…" Fon shuffled nervously. "If you don't mind, I'd like to say my business and leave," he requested politely

Tsuna nodded. "Right. Please go ahead." He quickly looked back. Hibari had already gone into the kitchen, not having been interested in whatever was happening at the door.

Fon's muffled sighed came through the scarf. "I came to tell you that your father is currently at your first home. He has made unexpected contact with Bianchi-san but has not been injured. I have told him that you are with Reborn right now, but I believe it would be a good idea for you to go back there if you wish to keep this place a secret," he advised.

Oh, wonderful. The father he never knew was here. How should he handle this…? For now, it'd be best to send Fon on his way and consult Reborn before he did anything else. "Thank you for informing me, Fon-san. I assume you don't want to stay for tea or lunch." Tsuna threw a glance toward the area of the kitchen again.

Fon waved a sleeve covered hand. "I appreciate the invitation, but yes, I believe it would not be the best idea right now. I shall see you next week then, Tsuna-kun." Fon glided away, still somehow managing to look elegant even in the ungainly thick clothes.

Once he saw Fon and I-pin leap over the gate, Tsuna closed the door and went into the kitchen. Hibari looked up from the tofu soup he was eating, and Tsuna wondered how he and Fon were related. Maybe estranged family? Fon was definitely older, not that he could tell by how much with the curse—

Ah. He forgot to tell him the news about Reborn's (mostly) restored adult body.

* * *

The little elite Varia squad tromped their way through narrow streets. They'd arrived in Japan from Italy by a plane they hijacked. Apparently, Mammon could fly a plane. Who knew? Anyways, they were now going to confront Nono's chosen heir, a boy named Sawada Tsunayoshi. The boy lived in Japan all his life and was a shy kid that was possibly bullied at school, according to the files of the Vongola. However, there was a good chance that the information was outdated as the file looked like it hadn't been touched in a while. Whatever. They could find out on their own. What mattered was that this civilian _brat_ was supposed to inherit the greatest Mafia famiglia, and none of them agreed with that notion at all. Their boss especially was incensed with the idea that they would one day obey the whims of an ignorant child.

Bel swung one of his custom knives around a finger, spinning it in a ring and catching it before it went flying in the direction of Levi's head—not that anyone would care if he hit that guy. Oh, that's a good idea… Hehehe… "By the way, I heard an interesting little rumor when we were passing through China." No one said anything in response, although he knew their interest was piqued, so Bel just laughed as he saw Squalo try to maintain a look of neutrality.

He failed. Squalo growled and waved his sword arm in his direction. He never did have the best anger management. It was very fun to rile him up—to an extent. It was less fun when Squalo got mad enough to actually cut him. Then it wasn't fun for anyone. "Well, what is it?!"

Bel laughed some more, saying in a teasing manner, "Ushishishi… No need to get so testy." Seeing the swordsman about to really start yelling, Bel stopped playing around and said, "Anyways, I heard that the prince of Merith was traveling around the world and has stopped in Japan."

Squalo huffed and lowered his sword. "So? What about it?" Why should he care about some prince of a country he never heard of? There were more important things to worry about, like finding a butcher shop that sells black beef in _Japan_. He bet the boss was being difficult on purpose just to watch them squirm. Sadistic jerk.

Bel cocked his head, smiling disturbingly—not that Squalo was affected. Nope. Creepy sixteen year olds were normal. He was totally used to them. "Hm? Not interested? What if I told you that he owns the company that makes Boss's favorite wine?"

Squalo perked up, now seeing the benefits of a meeting. If they could secure a steady supply of the stupid wine, they wouldn't have to worry so much about the precious stock being consumed rapidly and continuously hunt down the few rare stores that were classy enough to sell it before their supply hit zero and Boss went on a rampage. The last time that happened… Squalo shuddered imperceptibly. Nope. Not going through that again. It was worse than the time they bought "inferior" meat for Boss's dinner.

Bel didn't tell Squalo that for the swordsman's benefit, although if they were able to procure a steady supply of the highly sought after wine, the boss would be much less violence prone, although Bel didn't care much about that since Boss directed his anger more towards Levi and Squalo—mostly Levi. Bel had his own agenda to fulfill, one that involved the little prince. He grinned widely, showing his unusually sharp canines.

"I haven't seen him recently. I think it's time for a visit."

* * *

One of his spies—a _competent_ one, may he add—had informed him that the Varia were seen meandering the Japanese countryside and picking their way through cities toward Namimori, which was likely the cause for Leon's detached tail. In addition to that, Iemitsu had also come in from Italy and was due for arrival either today or tomorrow. "Hey, Reborn, can I talk to you?" Tsuna asked as he entered his room. Hm. Today, then.

Reborn straightened up from the wall he'd been leaning against. Ah, it definitely felt better to have an adult body. Easier mobility, ability to look _down_ at others instead of up, intimidation, and… "Why yes, Tsuna. Of course," he purred as he leaned in close. Heh. Now he could play the seduction game again.

Tsuna blinked. "Eh… Reborn? Can you back up a bit? You're a little too close," he requested.

"…" Right. He forgot that Tsuna was very sheltered.

* * *

Tsuna and Reborn sat at a small table they brought into Tsuna's room, their customary tea in hand. Tsuna's false window projected the image of the grassy yard and the grazing kangaroo. Ryohei was very fond of that kangaroo; he even gave it a name—Kangaryuu. Tsuna found it cute.

Tsuna and Ryohei had gotten closer as well. After the biweekly spar with Kangaryuu, Ryohei would enter the house and be greeted with a pick-up meal made by his "little brother". They'd talk about what they'd been doing in the past couple of days before Ryohei would ruffle Tsuna's hair affectionately and leave. On Tsuna's grocery days (or when Gokudera was having a one-sided spat with Yamamoto), they would go to the market together after eating and Ryohei would carry the bags back for him.

Tsuna was comfortable enough to think of him as a Guardian. However, he had no idea how to _ask_ him if he wanted to take the position. Everyone else sort of… just _became_ one.

Gokudera had no hesitation; he'd even asked him if he could. Yamamoto came to stick around after finding his first genuine friendships, forging unbreakable bonds with them—Tsuna for having noticed something wrong with him and alerting the Storm Guardian and Gokudera for being the one to actually save him. Lambo was picked up while in Italy. Tsuna didn't feel comfortable with him in a dangerous situation, however. He knew the others were at least capable of protecting themselves, if not completely obliterating their opponents, but Lambo was still so small. Mukuro had become a Guardian because of a do-or-be-imprisoned decision, but it seemed he liked being near Tsuna anyways. Chrome and Fran were potential Mists, but Mukuro was still much stronger than them, and both of the other Mists seemed content in letting Mukuro take the position.

Hibari took it upon himself to take care of the returned kit and had no intention of relinquishing him, positioning himself as a rather vicious protector. Unfortunately (or not), their schoolmates caught onto some of the vague feelings floating around and started wondering why the resident demon was so territorial over the meek looking boy, even going so far as to station his cute bird to watch over him. Then, as expected, new rumors began to form. They're childhood friends, they're second cousins twice removed, they're… newly bonded lovers?! Tsuna had flushed a bright red at that one when he heard it.

Tsuna shook the thought out of his mind. He could deal with those rumors later. At least they weren't as bad as the Yamamoto-Gokudera ones.

So, back to the Ryohei situation… He supposed he could wait and hope it happens in time, although with how close the Varia apparently were it was not likely. Then he'd probably have to directly ask him instead of gradually introduce him to the idea. But given that Ryohei liked fighting and Tsuna, it was hard to imagine him turning it down.

"Tsuna," Reborn called. "Are you done daydreaming?"

"E-eh?" Tsuna coughed lightly in embarrassment. "Right. Sorry." He smoothed down his clothes out of habit and settled his hands in his lap, straightening up as he did so. "Fon came by today."

"Oh really? What for?" In reality, Reborn already knew, but he felt it was better to let Tsuna build up the conversation instead of cutting straight to the irritating point.

"Well… first off, do you know anything about the relationship between Hibari-san and Fon-san?" Tsuna asked. He was curious about it but had no time to ask Fon before he left, and asking Hibari was… not really an option—unless he wanted to be forced into an impromptu napping session curled up against him again. (Admittedly, it wasn't that bad, but what happened afterwards with Mukuro _was_.)

Reborn's lips twitched amusedly. "Yes. Fon is his uncle, although Hibari doesn't like to acknowledge their relationship. You know how he likes to be the dominant; he abhors those he can't defeat, and in the seven matches he managed to draw Fon into, he has not come close to defeating him even once. On top of that, they were all after the curse took effect and Fon became limited in range. Hibari knows Fon can be stronger, yet he can't defeat him even in his cursed form."

"About that," Tsuna interrupted, "when do you plan on telling him about"—he waved at Reborn's form—"this?"

"Michaelis-san said that Phantomhive-san wouldn't need to eat again for at least a month, and even then he wouldn't be hungry enough to take much of the curse away, so there isn't much reason to tell him if he can't use the information," Reborn mused, but then he quirked a brow. "Unless you know how to draw some maneki nekos back into this world?"

Tsuna hummed contemplatively. "That's a good idea, but unless you can find something more attractive than the field of catnip in the spiritual plane, I doubt you'll be able to convince them to settle back here."

Here, Reborn's eyes gleamed wickedly.

"But it would be disastrous if all of them stayed in that plane. Unless enough of the bakenekos leave _this_ plane, Ciel alone won't be able to handle all of the miasma, and considering that bakenekos are less enamored by catnip, that isn't likely." Tsuna leaned his head back against his chair. "Well," he reconsidered, "They'd have to come back eventually to eat, but that might take them several more years if they've been feeding off the catnip. I'll have to devise something once I get back to the kingdom. We can't do anything about this for now. However, I may be able to request for some of them to come over for at least a short while, enough to at least lessen the effects of the curse. There are seven of you, right?"

The hitman shook his head slightly. "Six are affected by the age curse. The Sky is cursed with a shorter life. I have a feeling the latter will take much more to break."

"Ah, then I guess we should start with an adult maneki neko for each of you and three for your Sky, nine total, but if Ciel stays long enough, he could probably finish off the rest of your curse." Tsuna picked up his cup and took a sip, replacing it back on its saucer neatly afterwards. "The issue we need to get through for now is Fon's news. He told me that my _father_ is here." It felt odd to call him his father, considering they only saw each other for the first time in those short two minutes while in Italy.

Reborn nodded. "And on top of that, the Varia are within two days' travel from here."

Tsuna rubbed his face tiredly and groaned. "What a pleasant mess we have here."

* * *

"Yamamoto-kun, your form is too stiff. Loosen up, please," Urahara called out to the jolly teen. "And Ichigo, don't get distracted. I can see the black in your eyes already."

"Again?" Ichigo immediately stopped calling on Zangetsu and allowed the power to fade away. He'd been getting better at using the full extent of Zangetsu's synchronization—well, sort of. Fifteen seconds was better than none, right?

Yamamoto improved quickly under the studies of both his father and Urahara. His father was in the process of teaching him the techniques he himself used in his youth and slowly introducing him to use of sword skills with his Rain Flames while Urahara instructed him in spontaneity, dexterity, and flow of fighting. Training one-on-one with Ichigo was helpful since it provided him a way to pick out his own mistakes and work them out. His Flame control was still shaky as he had yet to learn how to consciously release them instead of simply redirecting the amount he unknowingly constantly released. He wanted to get better faster; he could see Tsuna get tenser every day. The "game" they were playing was becoming more dangerous.

* * *

"I'll come back permanently in a week, maybe longer. I'll stop by periodically, so you'll see me here a lot anyways," Tsuna assured Gokudera, who was insisting on going with him back to the main house where Iemitsu was. "Besides, Bianchi is there, too. I don't think it's a good idea for you to be close to her if what happened on your first day in Namimori will happen again."

Gokudera blanched once he remembered that his sister was currently stationed there. He didn't want to be near her since his chronic stomach pains would undoubtedly make an appearance if he did, but neither did he want to leave the prince with her. "But…" Gokudera protested.

"I'll be fine," Tsuna soothed. "I can take care of myself, and Reborn will be with me. Trust me, okay?" He smiled brightly, and Gokudera backed down.

Yamamoto slung and arm around Gokudera's tense shoulders and consciously trickled some of his Rain Flames into him. "Mah, he'll be okay. Tsuna's strong, right?"

Gokudera blushed and shrugged off the hold. "Idiot, of course I know that," he mumbled.

Hibari sulked in the background as the kit prepared to leave. He preferred that he stay close; the thought of having him gone for a week unsettled him. If he took any longer, Hibari decided he'd drag the kit back home.

So Tsuna was accompanied only by Reborn in his return to his first home. When he opened the door, he was immediately accosted by his supposed father.

"My little tuna-fishie! I haven't seen you in so long!" Iemitsu cried out as he squeezed Tsuna's torso in his tight grasp.

"Ah," Tsuna only said, both from lack of words to say and lack of sufficient breath to say more.

Iemitsu yelped when he felt someone smack his head with a folding fan. "Hey! Who was—?" He gasped when he saw a strangely familiar man standing behind his song, holding up the aforementioned fan.

"Now, now, Iemitsu, no need to suffocate your only son. It'd be such a waste of my time if you ended up killing my student that I've expended so much of my effort into," Reborn drawled.

"Re-Reborn?" Iemitsu stuttered. In his shock, his hold of his son loosened enough that Tsuna was able to wriggle away and subtly retreat behind Reborn. Iemitsu staggered forward. "Reborn, what happened? The curse—"

"It's mostly gone, as you can see," Reborn said.

Iemitsu's mouth gaped for a few seconds. "But how? Even Verde was never able to get rid of it," he whispered in disbelief.

"That's a secret I'm not willing to relinquish," Reborn dismissed. From what he could tell, the spirits were a secretive bunch and probably would not appreciate it if he went out and told people about them. And he was definitely not eager to be put under another curse anytime soon, so he would respect their wishes. Besides, Tsuna trusted him with the information; there was no need to tell any uninvolved parties. Fon, sure. Iemitsu, no.

When Reborn caught Iemitsu about to rebuke him, he impatiently cut him off. "I'm not obligated to tell you. I'm not officially bound under the Vongola, and you're part of CEDEF anyways. You hold no power over me. Don't think that you do."

Iemitsu wisely backed down, knowing that antagonizing Reborn over his curiosity would do no good for him. "Alright, Reborn. Sorry," Iemitsu apologized. He could weasel it out of his son.

Just as he was about to do so, Fon decided to appear. "Tsuna-kun, is that you? I thought I heard you at the door," his soft voice resounded in the silence of the genkan. The tiny pitter-patter of his feet stopped once he saw the adult Reborn.

Seeing his chance, Tsuna quickly made his way to the stunned Storm Arcobaleno. "Hello, Fon-san. Let's go have some _tea_ before our session today," he suggested, placing a subtle emphasis on tea to signal an important discussion.

Fon instantly grasped the meaning and easily followed Tsuna's sure gait into the kitchen, helping gather the snacks before they went up to Tsuna's room, successfully escaping Iemitsu's inquiry.

"Eh? But Tsuna? Where's Nana?" No one answered him.

* * *

"Fascinating. I never thought that such creatures existed," Fon whispered in awe. "And you say that the manekis can break the curse?"

Tsuna nodded. "It's very likely. The one that dealt with Reborn's is still very young, so he couldn't consume all of it."

"Then that means we can finally…" Fon's eyes grew wide with hope.

"Yes," Tsuna chirped. "We're planning to expedite the return of the manekis to this plane, although we're not quite sure how we'll go about it. Reborn seems to have something in mind, though."

Fon looked up at him with shiny eyes. "It looks like we'll be in your debt. I know that Verde has spent most of his cursed life trying to get rid of it with his research, and Viper has sought a solution through obscure rituals."

"Ah, it won't be a debt. I wasn't even the one to discover this. It was completely by accident," Tsuna denied.

Fon shook his head. "Nonetheless, you'll be the one to provide the help. Without you, we may never be able to be free of the curse."

"If you really want to thank someone, you should give your gratitude to the cats. They'll be the ones to actually remove the curse."

"I'll make sure all of us give due thanks to all of you," Fon promised.

"That's not what I meant…"

* * *

It happened on what was supposed to be a leisurely spent Sunday. All but Hibari, who had gone off independently like usual, meandered aimlessly together through Namimori's shopping district, the group occasionally entering a store once one of them saw something interesting.

"Ushishishi…"

That laugh… Tsuna froze. "Oh, shoot… Is that…?" He looked cautiously around the corner and spotted the blond blood-thirsty prince with his customary knives enfolded in each hand. Around him was a strange looking bunch of people. From Reborn's descriptions, he could safely assume they were the members of the assassination squad. He ducked back. "Yep. Of course it is. Just my luck—why didn't I ask Ciel to feed from me?" he bemoaned.

A passerby looked at him oddly. Tsuna blushed as he understood how that could've been misinterpreted.

"What's wrong, fairy prince?" Fran prodded Tsuna's cheek. "You're not broken, are you? I don't know how to fix people, so I can't help you then."

Tsuna waved Fran's hand away. "I'm fine. Just a small spot of trouble here."

"What, Tsuna?" Reborn stepped forward and poked Tsuna's shoulder.

"Why are you all poking me today?" Tsuna wondered. "Never mind. The larger issue… Prince Bel is here. You didn't tell me he'd come here. What happened to your information network?"

"I told you the Varia was coming. Bel is part of the Varia, therefore I _did_ tell you he was coming. Don't blame me for your ineptitude."

"You didn't _say_ he was part of the Varia, therefore you _di_—" The cocking of Reborn's Leon-gun cut him off short. He smoothly edited his speech. "_Did. Did_ tell me."

Reborn smirked smugly.

"That doesn't solve the problem though. He can't find out that _I'm_ here. Even if he's part of the Varia, he's still connected to the other Royals of the world."

Leon flashed back into his chameleon form and scuttled onto the rim of Reborn's hat. Reborn cocked his fedora and stared down at Tsuna contemplatively. "You've met him before?"

"No. I learned about other monarchies during my diplomacy lessons. Prince Bel has very… distinctive characteristics. Then, at one of the Royalty Summits in my younger years, I heard he killed his twin brother and left his kingdom, probably because of the exile clause."

"Exile clause?" Reborn questioned.

"'Killing a Royal is an immediate execution sentence. For a prospective heir to the throne at or under fifth in line, a five-year exile is sentenced,'" Tsuna quoted. "But it's been more than five years since then. I wonder why he hasn't gone back. There must be more issues than I'm aware of within his kingdom. He may have been at one of the summits I attended—and he probably was at least once—but I never met him. My grandfather didn't allow me to stray and explore any of the summit sites."

Sounds of unhurried steps casually walking forward closer to them caught Tsuna's attention. "Mm… the little prince should be in this city, I think," Bel's voice floated through.

A louder voice shouted, "What?! You don't even know if he's _here_?! Actually, _why_ would he be in such a backwater place like this?!" Hm, Hibari would not approve.

A quiet laugh preceded the next reply. "Oh? Wanna bet? I'll bet today's chores that he is somewhere around here."

"You cocky brat! FINE!"

Tsuna quickly slipped on his crown and cloak, making sure to cover his hair and face. "Ooh, secret identity, like a superhero," Fran commented.

Tsuna explained, "Ah, well it's inevitable that I'd meet them one way or another, but I think it'd be best if 'Tsuna of Vongola' dealt with them. I have no idea why Prince Bel wants to see me—unless he means some other prince, but I doubt that—and I need to deal with the ring dispute anyways." Then he crossed the corner, putting himself in plain view of the Varia, intentionally flashing the very noticeable crest of Vongola on his back for a second. Gokudera fell in step immediately. The rest trickled around them. Reborn hung back to watch in secret.

* * *

The Varia members stopped walking once they saw the group of teens led by the cloaked figure.

"Ooh, target number one~" Lussuria cooed.

"Ah, that was fast," Bel commented.

"VOI! Are you the candidate for the tenth?" Squalo demanded.

"Ushishishi, isn't that obvious?"

"Shut UP, you annoying BRAT!"

A passing pedestrian paused. "What is this? A movie?"

"Really? It looks interesting."

"Ooh, I wanna watch."

"Yes, I am," Tsuna said. "I assume you're here for the rings?"

"What else would we be here for, child? A civilian like you has no place in our society. Hand over the rings and we won't have to kill you," Squalo warned.

Tsuna shifted his stance a little, feeling a bit unsure on how to continue, but he managed to make the movement look casual. Hm… test the enemy? In that case, the first step is to provoke them. He could get a reading on their temperament and their loyalty with one comment. "Oh, but you see, I have a problem with that. From what I've heard from my informant—"

Reborn scoffed.

"—your boss threw a tantrum when he discovered that he was an orphan. I don't believe I can throw away a title that carries so much power to a moody, immature man."

Two responded with visible anger: the silver-haired commander and the man with the eccentric moustache. Both of them yelled at him incoherently. Prince Bel laughed again, unbothered and amused by his companions' rage. The _colorful _man pouted and said, "Now that's just _rude_."

Tsuna turned around, looking like he was dismissing them as a non-threat. "Well, you have my answer. Tell that to your boss." He started to walk away, completely aware that Squalo was going to snap.

Two steps later, the silver-haired swordsman let out a roar of rage at the impertinent brat that was so easily disregarding them as the greatest assassination squad. Them! The Varia! He ran forward, ready to cut down the child and demand that he turn over the rings, but a trident blocked his path before he could get too close. A heterochromatic-eyed teen dissolved the illusion that had previously been hiding him and a similar looking girl—maybe they were siblings?—and laughed disconcertingly, although his eyes made it clear he did not find his attack to be amusing.

"Now, what were you going to do to my doll?" the Mist user growled.

"Ah, but—" Tsuna quickly slapped a hand over Fran's mouth, hoping to stop the my-doll-my-toy-my-kit argument before it started again.

"HAH?! Is this your Mist Guardian, kid? And Rokudo Mukuro, no less!" Squalo remembered the uproar that occurred within the circles of the Vindice regarding this particular Mist user. It was possible that in a few years he would've been given an invitation to the Varia had he not been involved with a group yet. From behind Mukuro, a boy with silver hair quite like his stood in front of the Decimo candidate with sticks of dynamite at the ready. The two other Mists—the shy looking girl and the green-haired boy still being muted—made their own subtle preparations in case of a fight breaking out, both of them moving much more unsurely as if uncertain of what they should be doing. A small child crouched behind Tsuna's cloak and shook, visibly scared, but looks could be deceiving… "And those must be your other Guardians, then! You've been busy, eh?" Squalo yelled. "Maybe you're not a complete weakling after all!"

"Yes, we've been quite _busy_," Mukuro drawled. "Now, if you'll leave us alone, my dear Tsunayoshi and I can go be busy with _other things_. So if you'll excuse us, we'd like to take our leave. If not…" His red eye glowed threateningly. "I can make you."

Squalo's eye twitched. "You're all cocky brats, aren't you?"

"Of course we are," Fran mumbled around Tsuna's hand. "We're young, not wheezing old geezers like you. Look, you even have gray hair. Are you sure you're still able to move without breaking your back, grandpa?"

"Hehe, I like this kid," one of the spectators commented.

"VOI! My hair is naturally silver!" Squalo shouted back.

"Regardless, I will not give in. I can confidently say that my Guardians and I can take you on if you choose to attack. Can you say the same when your boss has just been freed after years of absolute stillness? Can you say he is unaffected by atrophy?" Tsuna challenged.

"Don't underestimate our boss! He was strong enough to travel all the way here; he'll be strong enough to beat you down if he has to!" In truth, Xanxus was still weak from being frozen. Lussuria was working on him daily to get his muscles back into pre-ice conditions.

Tsuna hummed disinterestedly. "Is that so?" he drawled. "Tell him to meet me then, if he wants to take the rings so badly." He formed a Flame-Hibird and sent it toward Squalo. "Here. It'll show you the way. I'll be waiting." This time, he was not stopped as he made to leave again.

A girl pouted as the others sneered and followed their respective leaders, leaving the "movie set". "Eh, it's over?"

Her friend took one last picture on her phone before squealing. "Oh my gosh, I'm definitely going to watch this movie!"

Another started texting to other friends. "I know! I'm going to post these on my blog!"

And so sneak peeks of a nonexistent movie began to circulate…

* * *

"Judging from your expressions, you found Sawada Tsunayoshi but were unable to retrieve the rings," Mammon concluded when the quartet returned to the hotel room they were staying at.

"Be quiet, little baby," Squalo snapped at the Mist Arcobaleno. He stomped off to the kitchen to start cooking the black beef they _finally_ managed to locate. Boss wouldn't be happy about the news, so he should at least be able to placate him somewhat with quality meat.

"How's the boss been?" Lussuria asked as he pranced toward the Mist user.

Mammon moved back slightly when the Sun user got too close. "He's been the same. It's about time for his session today, though. He slept all day, so he should be in a decent mood."

"Alright~" Lussuria hummed and went to heal their boss, readying his Flames as he walked.

"Any information about Merith's prince?" Bel asked.

"I have gathered some. It'll cost you 10000 yen."

"Put it on Levi's tab."

"Alright." Both of them ignored Levi's vehement protests. "It is confirmed that the prince has been residing in this town for the past three months or so."

"Ooh, Squalo's doing all my chores today then," Bel gloated. He waited for Mammon to continue, but when the Mist stayed silent, Bel frowned a little. "Eh, is that it?"

Mammon shook his head minutely. "If you want more, it'll cost you an additional 10000 yen."

Bel shrugged. "Sure."

"DON'T PUT IT ON MY TAB!" Levi yelled.

The both of them continued to ignore him. "This is his address." Mammon materialized a slip of paper with neat print written on it and levitated it to Bel, who grinned as he plucked it out of the air and read the information.

"Thanks. Do you think Boss'll be interested in meeting him?"

* * *

"…and now they are here to get the rings," Tsuna concluded. He looked around at his audience, which consisted of Gokudera, Hibari, the three Mists, Lambo, Yamamoto, and Ryohei, to which he had just finished explaining his Mafia situation all the way up to the meeting of the Varia just a mere three hours ago. They were all gathered in the lounge room of the mansion because he wanted to avoid use of the first house to prevent his nosy father from getting involved and so that the Varia wouldn't destroy anything of sentimental value, most of which was stored there. "So I now need you to make a very important decision. If you accept the ring, you agree to become one of my Guardians and be bound to my famiglia. There is no backing out once you accept."

He looked each of them in the eye, trying to discern if they had made a decision. Once all of them looked settled, Tsuna stood up and grabbed the box Dino had given him. He opened the box and approached the first in the line. "Gokudera-kun, do you accept the position of Storm Guardian?"

"Yes! I never had any doubts!" Gokudera exclaimed. He took out the Storm Ring and slipped it onto his right middle finger.

"Hibari-san, do you—"

Wordlessly, Hibari took the Cloud Ring and put it on before Tsuna could finish his sentence. Like Gokudera, there was no way he would've refused, especially when the kufufu-ing herbivore was sure to accept as well.

Tsuna blinked. "Ah, okay." He continued.

As expected, Mukuro took up the title of Mist Guardian, with only one token protest from Fran because he was the first to meet Tsuna and therefore had first claim. He was forcibly suppressed.

Tsuna moved on.

He was a little hesitant to give the ring to Lambo because of his age, but when the boy looked up at him with anticipatory eyes, he was unable to reject him.

Yamamoto, also predictably, took the Rain Ring, beaming as he did so.

And now for Ryohei-nii. Tsuna hoped he would take the Sun Ring, but he would understand if he put his younger sister as a first priority. "Ryohei-nii-san, do you accept the position of Sun Guardian?"

Ryohei smiled at him and ruffled his hair warmly. "Of course, little bro! Let's have some extreme fun together!"

Tsuna let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, his warm fondness for his unofficial brother growing.

His circle of Guardians was now officially complete. They were ready.

* * *

And not a moment too soon. They all heard a loud thump as someone attempted to ram the door open. "OW! What is up with this door?!" a deep voice shouted.

"It appears they're here," Tsuna said unnecessarily. The group picked themselves up from the various couches and armchairs they had been sprawled on and unhurriedly ambled to the door, Tsuna putting his crown and cloak back on as he walked. Hibari went to open the door.

"One, and—" Levi stood outside, in a position to ram the door again. Hibari's intimidating glare froze up his feet, making him lose balance and fall to the floor.

"Know your place, herbivore," Hibari growled.

"VOI! Are you the prince of Merith?" Squalo demanded.

"That guy? No," Bel answered for him. "Even in three years he wouldn't have changed this much. The last time I saw him, he was a tiny kid with wild brown hair and brown doe eyes like those of the deer I sometimes hunt and drag home."

Tsuna (understandably) did not appreciate the analogy that compared him to hunted deer. He decided to cut in. He walked to Hibari's side and gave a small smirk. "Well, I certainly didn't expect you to arrive so soon," he drawled, giving off a confident aura. "It looks like you've brought your boss like I told you to."

The scarred man gave him a heavy glare from where he sat on an ornate throne. It looked out of place on the patio, but still lent him a regal air. And how had they managed to bring it all the way here? It certainly wasn't made of lightweight material; just from a cursory glance he could see intricate workings of metal worked into a hardwood—cherry, perhaps? However, a closer look at the out-of-breath Levi answered that quickly.

Tsuna turned his attention back to the volatile boss. "Nice to meet you, Xanxus of the Varia. As you have surmised, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, the next Vongola boss," he introduced, purposely adding the titles to gauge Xanxus' true opinions about the situation for himself. Firsthand information was best, after all.

His behavior didn't deviate at all from previous allegations. Xanxus growled and rapidly drew a gun, firing a shot without hesitation straight at Tsuna's forehead. Tsuna continued to stand unflinchingly as he allowed one of his passive defenses, one of the wandering Flame birds that perpetually patrolled the grounds, to swoop down and intervene in the bullet's path, preventing it from piercing through his skull. The bird's Flames consumed the bullet, turning it into a mass of misshapen metal, and dropped the now defunct bullet onto the floor by Tsuna's foot. The little bird chirped as Tsuna refueled its Flames and sent it flying again.

"Sore spot?" Tsuna prodded.

Xanxus growled but lowered the gun. "Shut it, trash. You're just a civilian brat that wouldn't be able to kill even if it was necessary."

"Is that what you think?" Tsuna asked. "Well, while it may be true I have not killed anyone, I am capable of holding my own against those who appear stronger than me." He gave a pointed glance to Xanxus, who was maintaining his stature of intimidating authority.

Xanxus snarled at the slight to his strength, his rage boiling high. He surged to his feet, ignoring the soreness in his still healing muscles. "I'll beat you down, trash."

"So you can actually move?" Tsuna gave a low whistle, as if mildly impressed by the show of defiance to his pain receptors. "Impressive."

"If you're so confident in your own strength, you won't mind betting all of your halves of the Vongola heir Rings on a fight," Xanxus challenged.

Tsuna smirked. "And you'll do the same?"

"Yes," the impatient Varia leader hissed.

Tsuna clapped his hands together and smiled. "Wonderful."

* * *

They decided their matches would take place in the field behind the mansion in one week. (Well, Tsuna and Squalo decided; Xanxus decided it was beneath him and fell asleep.) The group that won the majority of the battles would get all of the rings, but since the Varia didn't have a Cloud, they decided one of them would go twice. The damages would be easily covered up and fixed, although it was likely that a good portion of the grass would have to be replaced from burns.

So in that time, Reborn called in some favors to help train Tsuna's Sun and Cloud, who were the only ones yet to have any experience consciously using their Flames.

And Leon spit out a pair of gloves, promptly given to Tsuna.

* * *

"Hey, Tsuna! I haven't seen you in a while!" Dino exclaimed as he entered the airport terminal where they were waiting. He hugged the smaller boy and patted his back.

"It's good to see you, too, Dino-nii, but it's only been two weeks," Tsuna greeted back.

"Oh, what a handsome man! Is he a celebrity? There are so many guards," a woman whispered.

"Well, I'd definitely tap tha—"

Conscious of the attention they were garnering, Romario leaned in and whispered, "Boss, we should leave. We're in the way, and Reborn-san doesn't look very happy."

"Erk! Reborn is here, too? But I don't see—" Dino froze as he finally caught sight of the adult Reborn and not the baby form he was expecting.

"Idiot Dino, you're wasting time," Reborn drawled. "Hurry up. Your student is waiting."

"Wait, Reborn, didn't you say two others were coming, too? Where are they?" Tsuna asked.

Reborn huffed. "He'll find us eventually. We don't need the last until later. Now, let's go."

* * *

"I refuse," Hibari outright said from one of his normal perches in the mansion.

"What? Why?" Dino whined. If he couldn't get his student-to-be to cooperate, it would be _him _that Reborn would punish. He didn't want any more bruises.

"You're a weak herbivore," the Cloud responded.

"Eh… what does that mean?" Dino asked Tsuna, scratching his chin out of puzzlement.

"He said he thinks you're too weak to be able to teach him anything," Tsuna answered.

"Whoa, Tsuna, you get what Hibari says?" Yamamoto asked in amazement.

"Of course he does," Reborn boasted. "He knows the language of Hibari."

"But it's not that difficult to get in the first place," Tsuna said. "Why don't you get it?"

Yamamoto shrugged. "Well, aren't we all omnivores? Why does he call most of us herbivores? The only people he ever calls carnivores are himself and Reborn and sometimes you. And what about 'small animal'?"

"It's his way of—" Tsuna was interrupted by a loud shout from above.

A baby was hanging off of a hawk. Tsuna wasn't that surprised anymore. "KORA! Reborn!"

Ah. Colonnello. The second tutor.

"You bastard! Why didn't you tell me you got your body back?" Colonnello dropped down the last ten feet and angrily pointed at the blasé tutor.

"You never asked," Reborn said in an echo of Sebastian. In the background, Dino continued to attempt to get Hibari to listen to him.

"How would I have known to ask? This never happened before!" Colonnello yelled, frustrated.

Reborn ignored his question. "You are tasked with training this guy." He tapped Ryohei's shoulder.

"Extreme! I get an extreme tutor!" At least Ryohei was excited.

"REBORN!" Colonnello yelled again.

"Hello, Colonnello. I didn't think I'd see you here today," a soft voice interjected.

"Eh? Fon-san? But I thought with Hibari…" Tsuna mumbled confusedly.

Fon waved off his concerns. "I heard what was happening and thought it would be better if I helped train him. He is quite a handful, after all." It meant the end of his peaceful stay in Namimori, but at least he'd be helping his nephew get stronger for his upcoming fight.

They heard Dino yelp and Hibari snarl. "Carnivore!"

"Oh, it looks like he saw me," Fon pointed out. "Dino-san and I will start his training now. I'll drop by later." He ran into the surrounding copse of trees, knowing that Hibari would follow. Behind them, Dino got up from where he'd been hit to the ground by Hibari's unforgiving tonfas and hurried after them. Romario followed just in case.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Tsuna worriedly asked.

"Don't mind them. They're all strong enough to stop themselves from killing each other," Reborn uncaringly said. "Now, as for you…" He faced the still fuming Colonnello. "You owe me a favor, and you promised you'd do this."

Colonnello growled but acquiesced. "Fine, but I want you to tell me how you broke that curse later, kora!"

Reborn hummed noncommittally.

* * *

Later in the first house, Reborn pulled out the old sheet of paper. It was long overdue. He could see Tsuna losing hope of ever forming any true bond with the man he was supposed to call his father. Iemitsu, as always, was oblivious to everything about his family, including the conspicuous absence of his wife, not finding it odd after being given the flimsy excuse of visiting a friend out of town.

He slipped the personal note into Iemitsu's bag, knowing that the man would find it there eventually. He left the room as silently as he had entered, leaving no other trace that he'd been there.

* * *

Tsuna's group used their given week as best as they could.

Once Hibari had his fill of beating Dino, he turned to Fon, who in turn beat him. Multiple times. They found the best way to draw out Hibari's Flames was to invoke his anger. Dino eventually earned Hibari's respect and a reluctantly given title of carnivore when he managed to beat him once he got serious.

Yamamoto continued to train with his father, Urahara, and Ichigo—up until he arrived on the fifth day of the week and found Urahara Shouten to be completely barren. Instead, there was a note that said "Ichigo's been getting restless, so we'll be leaving now! Sorry!" He shrugged off the abrupt departure, though he was saddened that they would be unable to train together again, and went back home to focus on his Flame training.

In truth, Ichigo had found out that Tsuna made a dangerous deal with the shady man called Xanxus and had adamantly refused to allow Tsuna to go through with the matches. Urahara knew what would happen if Ichigo interfered, so he forcibly dragged Ichigo onto a ship and took him back to Merith. Ciel and Sebastian left with them; it'd been long enough for it to be reasonable for Ciel to request to the king that he be allowed to drop the mission as he had his other duties to fulfill.

Colonnello forced Ryohei to give his muscles a break on the first day, using his Rain Flames to make Ryohei unable to do much, and then on the second day put him through military drills, which he unsurprisingly enjoyed for their extremeness. On the third day, they took a break again. They continued the cycle of rest and training until the day of the matches.

* * *

The matches were split up into three days so that they could have sufficient time for each fight but be done within a short amount of time overall. Reborn was chosen to be the impartial judge despite being Tsuna's known tutor. Tsuna had shot down the Varia's suggestion of using the Cervello because he didn't trust an organization he'd never heard of, even if it was supposedly part of the Vongola. Then Tsuna suggested asking the Vindice to be the judges to be sure there wouldn't be any favoring of one side over another. That idea was immediately rejected by everyone else. Reborn was ultimately selected as a safer option.

Levi was chosen to go first because he was selected to represent the Cloud as well for the third day.

Tsuna still didn't feel comfortable letting Lambo represent him as Lightning Guardian, but the little cow was surprisingly insightful and assured him he would be fine.

The first thing he did once on the grassy field was to pull out his bazooka and fire himself with it. However, even with the added ten years, he was unable to defeat the much more experienced Varia Lightning Guardian and was eventually defeated after an admirable struggle. Levi did not escape fully unscathed either, though. They both had a fair number of electrical burns, and Lambo even managed to pierce Levi's hand with his horns, debilitating his abilities to handle his parabolas.

Reborn had foreseen the need for a discreet doctor and had called in Shamal, who turned out to be the third favor. He was threatened into cooperating when he refused to treat a male, even if Lambo was just a child.

The next match was between Lussuria and Ryohei. Their fight produced more craters than the Lightning duo's had since they used much more physical force in their attacks. Ryohei was able to claim victory once he used his Flame-coated fists to break through Lussuria's metal plates and knock him out.

On the second day, the Storm fight went first. Bel's precise knife throws took care of the bombs that Gokudera threw at him, and the wires anchored to surrounding trees limited his movement. Tsuna's pleas not to let himself get unnecessarily hurt coaxed him into concession.

The two Mists took their places on the field next. The area very quickly became a nightmarish reality as the Mists warped their surroundings. Surprisingly, the younger Mist proved to be more vicious and capable, binding and crushing the other into a small particle of dust.

Or so it seemed.

Right before Mukuro's vines trapped Mammon, the smaller Mist user made a double as a substitute and fled the battlefield, giving the win to Mukuro. Xanxus was visibly displeased by the act of cowardice in his eyes. To Mammon, it was more of a realization nothing good would come out of continuing. Even if Mukuro had lost, the next two battles would likely go to the official Vongola heir. In the case that the Varia did manage a win, Xanxus would've had to fight and would be annoyed either way. Besides, even if the Varia lost the majority of the fights, it was likely that Xanxus would demand the Sky fight anyways and stake it all on the last match. It was also an acknowledgment of Mukuro's strength. If he had been born just a few decades earlier, he would no doubt have been the Mist Arcobaleno instead of Mammon. And at least now he could ask Reborn about his restored body without any interruptions or open hostility…

The third day started violently with Hibari's immediate victory over Levi as retribution for hurting one of the lynx kit's pack. He hadn't even needed to use his Cloud Flames to give him strength; nonetheless, the purples flames covered his entire being, shadowing his face and giving him the appearance of a wrathful demon. Levi learned a new definition of fear that day.

The last battle would decide if the Sky battle was necessary. The Varia had won the Lightning and Storm battles while Tsuna's group had secured victory in the Sun, Mist, and Cloud matches.

They took their positions on the destroyed field and readied their weapons. Squalo held up his sword arm in front of him, confident he'd win with his superior techniques. Yamamoto drew the sword his father had presented to him just yesterday, having been told to use it when utilizing his learned Shigure Soen style. They combated using the same style, but Yamamoto managed to gain the upper hand in the end by using his Rain Flames to create an arch around Squalo, from which he could project an image of himself and distract Squalo long enough to strike a decisive blow. The matches ended with four wins and two losses for Tsuna, giving him the ownership of the Vongola heir Rings.

However, true to Mammon's predictions, Xanxus rose up out of his throne and attacked Tsuna, who had been expecting it from careful analysis of his behavior before. Tsuna led the enraged Varia boss into an open space away from the pavilion he had been sitting at and quickly established his defense system consisting of Flock and Pride: Defense Form, signaling to his waiting Guardians he had no problems with accepting the challenge and therefore did not want any help. The miscellaneous large cats yowled and roared threateningly, and the eagles and hawks screeched overhead, their rapidly flapping wings creating a captivating display of flickering Flames.

From the apple tree close to the mansion, Natsu leaped down and rushed forward to aid his human. And he began to shift…

"Eek! Natsu!" Tsuna yelped when he saw Natsu changing into his hybrid form. He hurriedly tried to cover him with a shield of Flames and his own body from the eyes of the others; however, he was too late in preventing the Varia from getting an eyeful of his naked body before the Flames reached up to hastily cover Natsu. Mukuro pouted from where he sat since Tsuna's body had prevented him from seeing.

"Hm…" Bel hummed thoughtfully.

"I've never seen this type of technique before," Lussuria commented.

"Just shut up and watch," Squalo snarled, still disappointed at his own loss.

Thankfully, Natsu had planned to merge, so his bare form was not on display for long. Instead, Tsuna absorbed Natsu's body into his own using the help of Natsu's amber gem he'd embedded into his crown. Now Tsuna stood alone with lion ears hidden under the hood, an excitable tail swishing about, and rings of Flames encircling his wrists just above the rim of his transformed gloves. He huffed out an embarrassed breath and unsuccessfully tried to hide his reddened cheeks.

Xanxus' first three shots were stopped by a hawk and melted down into unusable blobs. His next two were infused with Flames, so a leopard ran forward to intercept the stronger bullets. Xanxus growled as his bullets were unable to reach their target, so he dashed into the throng of hissing felines. He discarded the useless metal gun and pulled out his specialized X-Guns, having previously thought they would be unnecessary against a child. He shot down three of the leopards, tearing apart their composition using his Flames of Wrath, and continued toward the still bashful brat, taking down a panther along the way.

Then the Flock: Defense came down upon him at once. The eagles shrieked into his ears and tore at his arms with their burning claws. The hawks nicked at his back and face. Xanxus pressed down on his triggers to shoot continuously at the pests. Once enough of them were destroyed not to be so much of a nuisance, Xanxus sprinted the rest of the way to the waiting Vongola heir.

They met in a clash of orange Flames. Tsuna's strength was boosted by Natsu and so was easily able to stand ground against Xanxus' much larger frame. He leapt back to put him off balance and shot off three pure blasts and created a small flock of Flame Hibirds to surround and explode around his enemy. The resulting cloud of smoke and dust obscured Xanxus from his vision, so he was unprepared for the two shots Xanxus sent at him. His last hawk took the hit and disintegrated.

With none of his Flock nor Pride left, Tsuna was left to fight alone. Xanxus burst out of the lingering dust cloud and engaged him in a physical struggle again. He swung out an arm to clip Tsuna's head with one of his guns and used the other to shoot at his unprotected stomach. Tsuna jumped out of the way and retaliated with Flame bursts of his own using his gloves.

They continued to exchange shots until Tsuna froze Xanxus' hands with his just recently learned Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition to prevent him from accessing his Flames. While Xanxus tried to smash the ice off, Tsuna knocked him over and proceeded to restrain him.

By sitting on him.

"What are you doing, trash? Get off!" Xanxus roared indignantly. He tried to buck him off, but Tsuna stubbornly kept him down.

"No," Tsuna refused."Not until you give in."

Now, from this point, Xanxus had two options: give in and preserve his pride or struggle for a while more and then give in, without his pride intact. From this fight, Xanxus could tell that at least the brat could fight and defend himself, and from watching his interactions with his Guardians, he could tell Tsuna had their loyalty. Just these two aspects alone proved he had the potential to be a great boss, but being the stubborn man he is, Xanxus refused to just give in.

So he proceeded to try to buck Tsuna off again for another two minutes. Then he had to acknowledge his inability to get out of this situation without calling for one of his subordinates or giving in. Knowing that to do the first would only cause more of a ruckus, Xanxus finally acquiesced.

"Fine, brat, I give," Xanxus sighed. "Now get off."

Tsuna did so happily. Hibari looked like he would have jumped in had he stayed a moment longer.

Xanxus stood and brushed off what he could of the dirt that clung to his clothes once Tsuna melted off the ice. "Now then," he said, addressing the shorter boy, "I'll admit that you have potential, not like what I first thought when I heard of you. I'm willing to give you the rings, as promised, but if I hear about you doing something I don't like, I'm coming back here to kill you and take them back." He ended with a threatening growl.

"No problem," Tsuna huffed out with a tired breath. "I've made similar promises before, and I don't plan on breaking any of them. Well, now that we're done with this, would you like to come in for some rest?" he invited. "I'm sure you all must be tired."

So the motley group of assassins and mafia kids went inside the mansion for dinner and rest, with Reborn making a note to teach his student not to be so stupidly trusting. It was okay this time since he knew Xanxus wouldn't try anything again, but if it was another person, there was no such guarantee there would be no backstabbing.

* * *

The next morning, they had a large breakfast together to help with the healing. Shamal had thought to protest but was very quickly cowed into compliance by Xanxus' glare. Tsuna had decided to let the Varia stay for a little while longer, until they were at least not sore from their various bruises and cuts.

Tsuna and Xanxus sat at opposite ends of the table, with Tsuna serenely smiling at his fellow boss. He still wore his cloak, not wanting Bel to see who he was.

During that time, Mukuro successfully managed to set off both Squalo and Gokudera. "So how come the right-hand men lost? You'd expect them to do better, huh?" He laughed as the comment sparked a noisy verbal fight. It was hastily ended when the dining room door was snapped open.

"Where's Fantasma?" Mammon demanded. The tiny illusionist floated through the doorway, noticeably without the usual familiar.

Tsuna put down his spoon. "Fantasma?" he asked. "Your frog?"

"Yes, my frog," Mammon hissed. "I couldn't find him anywhere today. Where is he?"

"Uh, well, I don't know—"

Mammon visibly bristled. "This is _your_ house. Don't you keep track of where people are in here?"

With an affronted tone, Tsuna replied, "Excuse me, you lost _your_ pet. Please don't place the blame on me."

Before any more could be said, Yamamoto interrupted. "Ano… If you're talking about that black frog you always have with you, shouldn't you go check outside?" he suggested. "He might've found the pond."

Tsuna groaned quietly. He'd forgotten about that. "Right. Thank you, Yamamoto-kun." He wiped his mouth and pushed back his chair, rising to his feet. "Well then, let's check."

And sure enough, Fantasma was splashing about in the clear water, with Kerosuke suspiciously close by. Fran laid on his stomach in the grass nearby, watching over them. He looked up as they approached. "Look, Mammon-senpai, we're in-laws," he declared as he pointed to a gelatinous form stuck to the side of the pond. Eggs.

* * *

Iemitsu was waiting for him at the door when he went back to the first house that night. "My Tuna-fishie! I'm so proud of you!" he exclaimed as he scooped up his unresponsive son into a hug. "Reborn told me about how well you fought!"

_Huh, he couldn't even be bothered to try to find out where we were and to watch._ Tsuna minutely shook his head at his father's uncaring nature. "I'm tired. Can I go up and sleep now?" he requested politely.

Iemitsu smoothed down his unruly brown hair slightly and smiled down at him. "Sure, kiddo. I just wanted to see you again before I go back to Italy." He gave Tsuna one last tight hug before he let go and said, "Keep up the good work, Tsuna! Make me proud!"

"Sure," Tsuna said noncommittally and fled to his room. _He's finally leaving. I can go back to my _real _family now_. Tsuna smiled as he lied on his bed, thinking about his close group of friends waiting for him back at the mansion. And, unable to wait, Tsuna snuck out of his bedroom window and walked all the way back to the mansion, being warmly welcomed back once he opened the door.

Iemitsu left early the next morning, not noticing that Tsuna had already disappeared the night before.

* * *

"Oh? What's this?" Humming happily, Iemitsu fished out the envelope that was tucked in between two folders and took out the paper that was encased inside. The paper was stiff and yellowing with age, its suppleness having left it years earlier. Iemitsu delicately held the paper and read the note inscribed.

_Hello, Dear…_

The seven-years-old letter fluttered out of Iemitsu's slack grip.

_Merith? King?_

"Turn the plane around!"

* * *

"Hey, Vongola," Bel called out to Tsuna. "Can I talk to you?"

"Hm? Sure," he said. Tsuna led him into an unused room close to the lounge room they'd just left. He sat down on one of the armchairs and prompted Bel to speak. "So?"

"I have a favor to ask of you…" Before Tsuna could react, Bel flashed forward and tore away his cloak. "…Prince of Merith." Bel gave him a sharp-toothed grin.

* * *

There's no Mosca because I didn't want to bother with the Nono afterwards. Mammon stays with the Varia just because. I also had Mammon as a male in mind. Xanxus is still loyal to the Vongola; he just didn't want to accept a weak leader. And he's still mad at Nono; he's just going to deal with him differently than in canon (i.e. stuffing him in Mosca and draining his Flames). I don't know. Maybe Tsuna uses the cliché of forcing them into a room together until they talk it out. I didn't make the fight scenes all that lengthy or detailed because I personally find them to be boring (both to read and write). You can totally tell how much enthusiasm I had for that part… Sorry if the scenes don't flow well. They were written separately over a (very) long amount of time.

To **Blazin'Blue**: Yamamoto was just getting extra practice/lessons from Urahara. He still had to inherit Tsuyoshi's techniques and learn to use his Flames. Urahara can't teach that because he's versed in spirit matters, not Flames. Ciel, Sebastian, and Ichigo's roles are over (for now, at least. They might come back in the future). I appreciate your opinion (and that you actually told me). It helps me decide what way this story will flow. Natsu wasn't going to stay humanoid forever; it was just to show that he was growing up, and I'd stated earlier that spirits were humanoid for the most part, so I had to give him that form. He can swap in between when he chooses. He prefers his lion form because then he doesn't have to wear clothes. :)

To **thor94**: Yes for Natsu, sort of for Ciel (he's in the process of becoming a spirit, so not quite a hybrid either), and no for Tsuna (Tsuna is a human that inherited some control of spirit-based powers but is not a spirit or a hybrid).

To **annprove**: I don't have enough confidence to enter a contest. Sorry. D:

My current story outline says that I'll end this at sixteen chapters. It might go longer depending on how large the chapters turn out to be. If you haven't noticed, I like to start and end one arc in each chapter. If I kept to my schedule, this story would've been done by June at most…

I'll start posting the list of reviewers in my next story (it's a bit late for this one) if I can bully (:P) my sister into making it.

Bel joined the Varia at nine (Tsuna was six or seven). The exile was lifted at 14 (Tsuna was 11-12). Bel is 16 at present (Tsuna is 13, birthday not yet passed).

Posted: 11/15/15

* * *

And for anyone wondering what happened to Ichi: **Extra: Back in Merith**

Isshin cheerfully greeted his son once he stepped off the boat. "Yo, Ichigo! Finally back home! How was your jaunt around the world?"

Ichigo sighed, irritated. "I lost him."

Isshin blinked. Without context, he made an assumption. "That's okay! There are plenty of other fish in the sea." He leaned in slyly. "So… you lost your v—"

Ichigo smacked Isshin's head hard. "No, you stupid old man! I'm not talking about a lover." He swept a hand through his hair tiredly. "I saw Tsuna, but then…" He snapped toward the grinning shopkeeper that was waving with that ever-present fan. "…that guy dragged me away. I was _so _close to getting him back."

Isshin let his playful demeanor dissipate and sat down next to his depressed son. "It's alright, Ichigo," he said soothingly. "The prince needs to experience the outside world, and he's not going to get that if he's cooped up in the castle. Think about it—if he gets no real-life experience, how's he going to know what solution would best fit a problem? Besides, I know you don't like having your freedom restricted. How do you think Tsuna feels?"

Ichigo groaned. "I know, but… it's dangerous, you know? I don't want him to get hurt. And the _mafia_! He's being raised to be a _mafia boss_. That makes it even worse."

"He's not going to be weak forever. He's growing up, meeting new people, and getting stronger all the while. I hear he has a tutor dedicated to him. And—" Here Isshin smirked. "—if he's not strong enough by the time he decides to come back, we can help him, right?"

Ichigo mumbled, still discontent, but eventually sighed and gave in. "Yeah, fine."

When Ichigo's back was turned, Isshin gave a quick thumbs-up to Urahara. _Good job, Kisuke!_

Urahara returned the gesture with a fan raised to his mouth. _You're welcome._

From his feet, Yoruichi complained, "You know, Isshin, most parents would read stories to their kids to teach them lessons about the world, but no. _You_ had to go all fancy and do _this._"


	15. Chapter 15

For reasons unknown to them—although most of them didn't care either way—they were going to Bel's kingdom. Reborn thought it would be a fun adventure. Tsuna just wanted to be done with it, with Bel's request.

* * *

Tsuna laughed sheepishly. "When did you find out?"

Bel tossed back the cloak, which Tsuna then settled over his shoulders, finding no need to put the hood back on now that his identity was revealed. "Your pet lion looks just like you, and I know some of your lore, although those of the 'hybrids' are harder to come by," the Bloody Prince explained.

A flash of realization struck him. "S-so you saw—" Tsuna blushed and covered his red-stained cheeks.

"Ushishishi…" the blond prince unnervingly laughed as he leaned in closer. "Say, Merithian prince, would you mind doing me a favor?"

Tsuna stopped hiding and regarded Bel cautiously. "Why?"

Bel's sharp teeth glinted as his grin widened. "I'm a prince," he regally proclaimed.

Tsuna raised a brow.

Oh. Right. He was, too. "I'll make it a royal favor between my kingdom and yours," he bartered.

Tsuna considered the offer. A royal favor could be beneficial in the future; he could ask for anything within reason, and the other prince would have to comply or acquiesce to territory loss. "What's this favor?" he asked cautiously.

Bel's disconcerting grin stretched wider. "It seems my dear brother is not as dead as I thought he was. I need to fix that… Ushishishi…" He pulled out one of his customized knives and flipped it through the air, catching it in between his fingers without nicking himself. Then he threw it at the doorframe, the blade sinking a good three inches into the hard wood. Other than that one act of violence, Bel did not show his anger, maintaining his ever-present smile, albeit even more bloodthirsty than usual.

Tsuna was shocked. "Prince Rasiel isn't dead?! But the news—"

Bel cut in, "Like I said, he's still alive. He's been pretending. One of the butlers that hated me seems to have sided with Rasiel. He must've hid the scum and made everyone else believe he was dead."

So even at a young age, there was the growth of factions within the castle and probably throughout the country. Tsuna never experienced such division because he was the only child and heir and was much beloved.

"If I've been exiled because of his death, he should at least stay dead, shouldn't he?" Bel laughed. "Of course, _he_ wouldn't think so."

"If you're asking me to help you kill your brother, I'll have to decline," Tsuna deadpanned.

The other prince frowned. _Well, that's no fun_. "Fine then. How about you make sure he doesn't interfere while I claim the throne? It's earlier than I'd have preferred to be king, but I definitely won't let that bastard Rasiel take it from me."

Tsuna thought over it carefully. The favor would come in handy in the future for sure, but getting involved in another kingdom's internal struggles would certainly bring chaos. Also, he couldn't just leave; he had his school life to maintain.

But then again, school was just a cover, and that offer…

"Please give me some time to think it through. I will have an answer for you tomorrow," Tsuna finally decided.

Bel's smile dropped a little. "Eh? Not sure? It's a good deal, you know. Don't think you can get a better one later."

"I understand. I merely wish for some time," Tsuna replied.

Bel yanked on the wire of his knife, recalling it from its niche in the doorway. "Do what you want then, little prince." He strode out of the room, softly snickering as he left.

* * *

Reborn frowned as one of his spy bees reported yet another Merithian lookout was nearing their location. It seemed they finally caught the wandering rumors of Tsuna taking refuge in Japan. Reborn huffed with some exasperation. All of the coming and going of the Merithians was irking him, and the hiding it necessitated was no good either. A permanent solution would be nice, if only so that he wouldn't have to deal with all of the interruptions to his tutoring.

Reborn froze.

Oh, now _there _was an idea…

* * *

"Did you see? Did you see?" a Namimori student said excitedly as she ran to her friends.

One of them stopped searching through her bag and looked up at her. "See what?"

"Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun were wearing matching rings!" she squealed.

Cue a responding squeal. "So they really are married?"

The third girl raised a brow dubiously. "I don't know. Maybe they're just promised to each other."

Her friend gasped. "That's still a big deal!"

"Isn't it?"

"But wait! I saw Hibari-san wearing the same type of ring, too!"

Another girl piped up. "So was Sawada-kun!"

They gasped. "Does that mean they're _all_ in a relationship together?"

Scandalized giggling ensued. At a distance, Tsuna moaned and clapped his hands over his face embarrassedly. Gokudera stoically ignored Yamamoto as he grinned at him.

* * *

Once they got home that day, they saw Reborn standing at the door with several packed luggage bags. Tsuna looked over them as he tried to navigate toward the door. "Going somewhere, Reborn?" he asked once he got there.

"Yes," he answered simply. "And so are you. I've already packed your bags, as you can see, and I've called the school to tell them you'll be gone for a few weeks."

"Ah? For what?" Tsuna opened the door and dropped off his schoolbag inside next to it. Gokudera and Yamamoto followed his actions.

"Where are we going, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked. Tsuna noted that he had no protest to the abrupt decision to go.

"Sounds like fun," Yamamoto commented. "Are my bags here, too?" The excitable teen started to root through the bags, attempting to locate his own and check to see if his favorite baseball was somewhere in the pile.

"I've given you a day, and the Sun Arcobaleno said you agreed," Bel said as he appeared at the doorway with the Varia in tow.

"So he did," Tsuna muttered as he gave a side glance to Reborn, who was nonchalantly petting Leon's head. Well, he didn't mind. He was going to agree anyways.

"We have to leave soon, or the plane will depart," Reborn casually said. "And you have yet to find your Guardians. They must come as well."

Tsuna sighed. "I suppose I should get them."

* * *

So in the span of thirty minutes, Tsuna found his missing Guardians and the two other Mist users. Fran was at his pond, watching over the eggs nestled in the rippling water. Mukuro was in the yard with Chrome, teaching her more techniques, and Lambo was sleeping on top of Kangaryuu not too far away. On the way around town, he encountered Fon, I-pin, Fuuta, and Bianchi on a food run. He quickly asked them to make occasional checks to the mansion before he ran off again. Then Tsuna found Ryohei on his afternoon sprint, and back at school, Hibari was cracking down on "herbivorous" lagging students.

Once he gathered them and finished trying to explain the situation—they didn't listen much as they found the sight of a barely-cloaked Natsu wrapping his arms around Tsuna from the back much more interesting—they set off.

* * *

"Turn the plane around!"

The pilot was unable to comply because they were closer to Italy than Japan at that point, and there wasn't enough fuel to be able to go back anyways. Then when they finally landed in Italy, Iemitsu tried to call home, but no one picked up. The public airlines were all full already, so he had to either wait a week for an opening or wait for the Vongola plane to be ready again, but it was taking a long time for the private plane to restock.

When he finally got back to Namimori two days later, the house was already empty; even Bianchi was gone. A frantic search through town yielded no results. The school told him that Tsuna's guardian had excused him for the next two weeks.

His son and wife were gone and he didn't know where they were. But perhaps they've been gone for longer than that. It wasn't like he had tried to keep much of a connection to them anyways.

But it had been for their safety…!

No, that was a weak excuse and he knew it. He was afraid that Nana would leave him if she ever found out that he worked for the mafia, so he had purposely kept her at a distance. His own son hadn't seen him until just last week. He was basically a stranger to Tsuna.

Iemitsu had lost his family, but not in the way he had expected.

…This would take more than just a simple bouquet of red roses to fix. But first, he would have to find them.

He pulled out his phone to call Oregano and organize another flight.

_Now, where is Merith?_

* * *

"Do you really need to take the throne with you?" Tsuna curiously eyed the heavy piece of furniture currently being carried by Levi. It was very conspicuous in the crowded airport, and the fact that Xanxus was sitting on it did not help either.

"Of course he should take it. It's Boss's throne!" Levi huffed from below.

"Quiet, trash," Xanxus growled. He shot a bullet down, and Levi quickly jerked his foot out of the way, taking special care not to jostle the throne lest Boss get angry and shoot at him again.

"Keep that out of sight unless you want to be left behind," Reborn warned. Xanxus snarled, but he put away the gun.

_"Flight 1827 will be leaving in twenty minutes. Passengers of Flight 1827, please prepare to enter the plane."_

"That's ours, right?" Yamamoto asked. He checked the ticket. "Yeah, it is."

"Hibari-san, let the security guards do their job. Mukuro, stop antagonizing him. Fran, if you can't stop losing Kerosuke, you'll have to leave it behind. Everyone else, thank you for not causing trouble," Tsuna said in a rush as he tried to map out their path.

"This way, little prince," Reborn purred as he linked an arm around Tsuna's shoulders and led the way.

Hibari immediately stopped beating up the pickpocket he caught and let the frightened security guards take over. He growled at Reborn's close proximity to the kit and stalked in front of them, unwilling to look like he was submitting to the older carnivore by following from behind.

Natsu (still in humanoid form but now more covered) plucked up Kerosuke from where the frog had been hiding and trotted after Tsuna. Fran followed once he saw the frog, and Mukuro soon fell into step.

* * *

They were, again, seated in first class. Xanxus and Reborn wouldn't accept anything less, and Tsuna preferred the wide first class seats to the cramped passenger seats himself.

"E-excuse me," Chrome stuttered, "but may I ask a question?"

Tsuna overran Fran's comment of "You already did" to say, "What is it, Chrome?"

"How come the departure board didn't list the country's name for this flight when all of the other flights had a destination?"

"That's because it doesn't have a name," Bel explained as he snickered. "It changes every time someone takes the throne, and since there is no one currently reigning, it is nameless."

"That, and the airports probably got exasperated with the changes," Reborn cut in.

Chrome blinked with confusion. "But surely it can't change that frequently?"

"It does," Tsuna sighed, "especially since that family is… violence-prone. I'd barely started learning about them in Merith, and already there were five assassinations within a decade. However, that happened several generations ago. I heard that the more recent generations don't kill each other as much because the numbers left of their bloodline is declining. Grandfather also said that the kingdom causes quite a headache during the summits since one of the kingdoms is given responsibility over it when it is left without a ruler or regent during times of exile."

Gokudera suddenly jerked up from where he'd been falling asleep. "Ah. Speaking of kingdoms, I read in the news that Britannia was reestablished."

Mukuro laughed. "Oh, right. The new Parliament couldn't satisfy the people. Their incompetency astounds me."

"Ara? Who is the new king?" Yamamoto asked.

"Someone from the old line was discovered. What was the name? L… Lel…"

* * *

They woke up to the sound of the pilot announcing their arrival and got off the plane, leaving Levi behind to deal with the throne.

According to a map that Bel drew, they were in the city of Yuudai at the edge of the kingdom. The castle was located farther north.

"Yuudai means 'great hero' in Japanese, doesn't it?" Yamamoto commented.

"Ushishishi…"

Tsuna looked at Bel warily. "What is it?"

"Say it with English pronunciation…"

He tried it. "Yuudai… Yuu dai… you die…"

"What a morbid name," Yamamoto laughed even as his eye twitched nervously.

* * *

"So do you have a plan in mind?" Tsuna enquired as he walked next to Bel.

"Yes. We go to the castle, you deal with the butler and my brother, and I go through the coronation ceremony. Mammon told me that it's all been prepared because of Rasiel, but I'm sure the counselors won't mind there being a slight change in who is being crowned." At least, they wouldn't if they wished to keep their lives.

Tsuna looked at him with blank eyes. "Then you _don't_ have a plan. You just have the end results in mind."

"That's good enough," Bel said dismissively.

Tsuna sighed. "Alright. And how much time do we have?"

"Oh, about three hours."

* * *

Tsuna was never going to let Bel be in charge ever again. The distance from the airport to the castle was two hours—by car.

So Bel stole a truck, shoved them all in, and probably broke at least twenty of his own kingdom's laws as he sped through the streets toward the castle. Some of them enjoyed the ride—Ryohei stuck his head out the window and shouted "EXTREME!" for most of it, and Hibari somehow managed to fall asleep on the roof without falling off—while others became sick from nausea. Chrome covered her mouth the whole way, and Fran, while not so openly expressing his sickness, gained a tiny tint of green.

They managed to get to the town closest to the castle without any further trouble, but they were nearly caught several times by patrolling guards once they tumbled out of the car and started to walk the rest of the way.

They had about one and a half hours to intercept the coronation since Bel's hurried driving shaved off half an hour of travel time. Tsuna thought it would've been better if they'd driven slower even though they now had more time to do what they needed since now Chrome was heaving into some nearby bushes and it seemed Levi fell out of the back at some point. (He didn't worry too much about that; Levi would find his way back to Xanxus eventually.) Hibari and Xanxus were unaffected, so he supposed that was okay.

Tsuna stared at the welcome sign to the town. He squinted. "Let me guess… Akilyu, a kil yu, I kill you."

"That's not grammatically correct, weak prince," Fran pointed out.

Bel threw a blade into Fran's back. "Shut it, froggy."

* * *

Yamamoto whistled, impressed by the numerous scores cut into the stone of the surrounding fort wall. "I wonder what caused these."

"Knife tag," Bel said reminiscently while looking fondly at a suspiciously colored dried puddle near one of the gouges.

Tsuna closed his eyes. "…Why?"

"Because brick tag is too tame. Want to play?"

"No."

* * *

Hibari made the path to the castle very easy by swiftly knocking out all of the guards that they happened to cross. Bel noted the apparent weakness in his kingdom's soldiers and frowned. They've been lax in the years he'd been gone. Maybe he should play with them again.

At the castle walls, Mukuro fashioned a vine ladder that tumbled down on both sides. Gokudera climbed first to check if it was safe, then Yamamoto, followed by Ryohei, Lambo, Tsuna, and Reborn. Once on the other side, he checked to see if everyone was there.

…Nope. Where were Hibari, Mukuro, and all of the Varia?

A loud crash on the other side of the castle answered his question. He sighed. "Didn't I specifically say we _weren't_ going to go through the front gates?"

* * *

At the gates, Hibari and Mukuro each took down three guards before moving onto the next wave.

"Hmph, like I'd let you outdo me, skylark," Mukuro sneered as he slashed down his trident. He would've followed Tsunayoshi—and he almost had—but then he'd seen the prefect stalking toward the front gates and caught onto his plan, so he followed him instead.

"You should've stayed with the other herbivores," Hibari retorted.

"Oh, does that mean I get to keep Tsunayoshi?" he taunted.

Hibari snarled as he cracked the bones of another guard, sending him to the ground. "You stay away from the kit."

"Hey, the way's clear. Get over here, cocky brats!" Squalo shouted at the bickering duo. And of course the Varia couldn't just let two middle school brats one-up them either. Their pride wouldn't allow it.

Xanxus kicked Levi, who indeed had found his way there on his own, to get him to start moving again. "Hurry up, trash," he commanded, bored already. He would've told his subordinates to at least secure a nice flask of wine if he'd thought it would be this dull. Really, all they did so far was go on a short car ride (which he mostly slept through) and knock down a few guards. There wasn't even a lot of blood. He could demand compensation from the Vongola brat later, he supposed. Maybe another fight could wake him up.

In the background, Hibari and Mukuro began to fight each other while Squalo roared his annoyance. How annoyingly loud they were.

* * *

"No matter, little prince. We shall continue if you plan on upholding your part of the deal." Bel readied a knife in hand as he strolled toward the servants' door leading to the kitchens.

His brother probably set lookouts everywhere in case he heard and came to intercept the coronation, but Rasiel wouldn't have expected for him to have the Varia and Merith cohorts accompanying him, and unfortunately for him, both groups were superior to the guards of their kingdom—at least for now. He would train them up to be at least close to Varia quality once he took over.

"I guess I can't do anything about them for now," Tsuna sighed. Another explosion shook the ground. What was Mukuro _doing_? Or was that Hibari? He pushed them out of his thoughts for now to refocus on their current goal. He hurried to walk behind Bel since he knew the layout of the castle, and the rest came to follow. Natsu, in his favored lion form, encouraged the still sick Chrome to ride on his back. She gratefully accepted and slumped forward to grasp the soft fur around his neck.

* * *

Gokudera ranted heatedly as Yamamoto lightheartedly laughed. "I _told_ you the door wouldn't hold the weight. But did you listen? _No_. Because you're a stubborn—"

"Yamamoto-kun, please apologize, and Gokudera-kun, please just let it rest," Tsuna pled. At this point, he was tired and stressed because they were an hour and twenty minutes into their allotted time to stop the coronation and they had yet to even find the room. They'd cut through the kitchens, dining hall, ballroom, theater room, and even found the entrance hall, where they reunited with the people that had wandered from them early on (not that there was much of an entrance hall _left_ because of them), but they still couldn't get to the coronation ceremony. During that time, they knocked out sixteen patrols and another hundred or so guards.

"Sorry, Tsuna-sama." Gokudera subsided but allowed himself to give a tiny shove toward Yamamoto for getting him scolded. The other boy just grinned and hung an arm over his shoulder. Gokudera let him… but only because he didn't want Tsuna-sama to scold him again.

"Now, Prince Bel, do you have _any_ idea where the coronation might be held?" Tsuna pressed. Previously, the other prince only gave vague one-word answers and snickers when asked. Hopefully now that they were pressed for time (or at least much more than before) he'd be more serious.

"Time is money. Anymore and I will charge 10,000 yen per minute," Mammon threatened.

Bel frowned. "You're no fun," he replied, but he relented. He abruptly changed their path headed toward the right to turn back around and lead them through a hidden alcove. The space opened up through a long hallway into an open garden with a marble dais at the center. A throne was set at the back of the dais with an altar situated not too far from it. "And here we are."

Tsuna eyed the gathered nobles and officials warily. It seemed that Prince Rasiel was not yet here at least. Good. They made it with just five minutes left on the clock. "And you couldn't bring us here first?"

Bel shrugged. "It's been awhile since I've seen my home."

"You could've toured through once we finished."

The bloody prince scoffed. "But then I wouldn't have an excuse to beat up the weaklings." He sharply stopped and turned. "Besides…"

Bel leaned closer to Tsuna, enough so that he could see a glimpse of the fabled blood red eyes of the contentious kingdom.

"…_I like to play with you._"

The statement sent Tsuna into a state of confusion. Did Bel just like spending time with Tsuna? So much that he'd risk his kingdom for it? They'd only truly met recently; Bel's one-sided glimpses at the summits didn't count. Or maybe it meant he trusted that Tsuna wouldn't allow Rasiel's coronation to go through. And one more thing…

_What did Prince Bel mean by 'play'?_

* * *

Not too long after they arrived, the main entryway to the secluded gardens opened. They stayed hidden in the lesser used passageway and watched a tall butler walk in front of a finely dressed young man, keeping an attentive eye on the crowd of nobles to pick out dissentients.

Bel leaned forward, closely marking the second man. "That's him. He's really been alive this whole time. Bastard. Ushishishi…"

The man in question had the same color hair with the bangs falling forward into his eyes to cover them. A similarly fanged grin invoked a sense of unease. Unlike Bel, his small crown was tilted toward his right and his hair fell evenly to his shoulders. He followed his butler to the altar, where the king's crown and scepter were placed in front of the official, who prepared to proceed with the ceremony.

And that was when Bel cut in—quite literally—as he went straight for Rasiel with handfuls of knives.

However, Rasiel was not unprepared for the sudden attack. He quickly sprang a knife of his own into his hand and blocked the downward slash from his estranged brother. "Well, now, isn't it my dear brother Bel? Come to see me crowned?"

Bel laughed. "As if. Didn't I already prove I was more worthy? After all, who was the one that was in hiding all these years?"

Rasiel pushed back. "And who was the one who didn't catch on to a fake death?"

Bel simply retaliated with a cut from his other hand, catching Rasiel across his chest and snipping the latch of his cloak which then fluttered to the floor behind Rasiel. "Regardless, I won back then, and I can beat you again."

At that time, Tsuna slid out of the shadowed pathway. "Wasn't it my job to hold him off?" he drawled. Gokudera and Yamamoto followed him out and stood on either side of him. The rest fanned out around them, creating a picture of strength and unity. Beside them, the Varia congregated around Xanxus, who was still on his throne. Levi stood wheezing behind him.

Bel blocked a knife and snatched another out of the air when it was aimed at his heart. "Change of plans. I want to beat down this peasant myself. You deal with the butler."

Once he gave the command, the crowd of watching nobles quietly murmured as they backed away to the walls to stay out of range. They acted as if it were normal for one prince to attack the other. Maybe it was; both were violence-prone after all, and the coronation gave it higher stakes than usual.

"It looks like the prince wishes to play with his younger brother first. Very well. I will do as he says and get rid of these children for him." The large butler detached himself from the side of the altar and strode over to Tsuna. "Good afternoon. My name is Olgert. I will be your cause of death today," he said as an introduction.

Tsuna cocked a brow at him, maintaining his image of nonchalance. "Is that so? Well, I won't claim that I'll kill you, but I will definitely defeat you."

Olgert scoffed. "A mere child defeating someone like me? Nonsense. Besides, you don't have the power granted by the great Byaku—"

Gokudera suddenly rushed forward while throwing one of his smaller bombs at Olgert's feet. The butler immediately jumped away but could not escape the full blast. He was blown back a few feet with the last five inches of his pants' hem burned away and minor burns underneath.

"Shut up, butler. You can't speak to Tsuna-sama like that," the Storm Guardian growled. "He could beat someone like you thrice over."

Olgert recoiled in slight surprise. "Tsuna? Prince Tsuna of Merith? I heard you went missing. What is someone like you doing with the runt prince?"

Tsuna shrugged. "Some stuff happened," he said vaguely.

_Stuff…?_ Olgert shook his head. He could figure that out later. In the meanwhile, it was prudent to get the Merithian prince on their side. "As you know, Prince Tsuna, Prince Rasiel is to become king today—"

"But we're here to stop that," said an expressionless green-haired boy.

Olgert ignored him. "—and he, as the elder brother—"

"Who was defeated by the younger," the boy helpfully added.

"—has the full rights to ascend and immediately designate his own officials," Olgert finished, trying to maintain calm. "I'm sure Prince Rasiel would be delighted to have you among his closest advisors."

Now it was Gokudera who scoffed. "As if Prince Tsuna would settle for being an advisor. He has better things to do right now, such as defeating you and clearing the way for Prince Bel to ascend to his throne."

The butler focused his gaze on Tsuna. "So you refuse?"

Tsuna smirked. "What kind of prince would I be if I didn't keep my promises?"

Olgert narrowed his eyes. "If that's the case, I'm sure your grandfather would reward the prince greatly if he were to capture you and send you back to your kingdom." He reached into his suit pocket and withdrew a ring with a blue stone. "Now, behold the power given to me by Master Byakuran!"

"What, so you have two masters? Are you cheating on Rasiel then?" Fran asked.

"Please don't say it like that, Fran. The context is strange," Tsuna said.

Yamamoto had a strange glint in his eyes as he looked at the butler. "Look, he has blue Flames."

Tsuna regarded him carefully. "So he does," he noted. _This Byakuran must be part of the mafia, but I haven't heard of that name before. It is a strange name for an Italian. A descendant maybe?_

The butler had put on the ring and was now releasing pulses of Rain Flames. "You cannot defeat me. I have trained for seven years without rest to aid Prince Rasiel, the one to be king."

"Regardless of how long you've trained, it is useless if you do not have the strength for it," Tsuna replied. "For instance, _my_ Rain has trained for less than a year, but I have full confidence he can defeat you."

"Oh, I get to play?" Yamamoto smiled happily as he raised his disguised sword. "My pleasure, Tsuna."

"Hmph, you will regret this, prince." Olgert readied himself to attack.

"It won't be me regretting," Tsuna quietly said.

Yamamoto flared his Flames, burning away the covering for the sword. With quick steps, he closed the distance between him and the butler and stabbed forward, nicking Olgert's side as he didn't manage to escape the full attack.

"Yamamoto-kun has been trained under the strongest Rain and Sun and he has the natural aptitude to be a hitman," Tsuna commented as Olgert less than skillfully swerved to the side to avoid a downward swing.

Yamamoto activated the numbing property of his Flame and injected it through a ruthless stab into Olgert's thigh. "It won't be long until you fall now," he declared cheerfully.

* * *

"Your butler's in trouble," Bel observed as he knocked a flying knife away.

"So what?" Rasiel retorted, clashing a knife with Bel's. "If he fails, then he is of no use to me."

"So cold," Bel said laughingly. "I guess that's why you have no allies."

"Like I need any. As long as I kill you, nothing else matters. _I_ will be the one to become king today."

"Oh? I don't think so."

The exchange of slashes, stabs, and cuts continued. At some point, Olgert finally fell to Yamamoto, and Hibari put him under with one hit to the head. Tsuna praised Yamamoto for his skills, and the baseball player happily accepted the compliments. Finally, Bel gained the upper hand and cornered Rasiel at the altar. He held his older brother in place with a blade at his throat. Bel looked up at the unsurprised official that was still standing there. "If you please," he prompted with a delighted grin.

The official stepped forward with the crown and scepter. He gently pulled the small crown from Bel's head and replaced it with the king's crown, handing over the scepter as he did. "Today, we have witnessed the crowning of King Belphegor the first. Hail the new king," he intoned.

"Hail," the surrounding nobles chanted.

"My first order," Bel announced, "is for the revocation of Rasiel's status. You are no longer a prince."

There was a shocked silence. Then, Rasiel huffed. "I've always hated you."

"No worries. I hate you, too."

* * *

The day ended with a celebratory feast for the new king and Rasiel being sent to the edge of the country with his butler to live there under the watch of guards. Bel couldn't execute him because they were the last of the royal bloodline, so the worst he could do was exile him—at least, until he secured his own heirs, which he planned to put off for as long as possible. As much as he hated his brother, young kids were worse, and at least he could have a decent fight with Rasiel.

Tsuna and his Guardians were given lodgings for the night since it was too late to board a plane back to Japan and they were too tired to move much anyways. Bel called them and the Varia to the dining hall for the feast. Bel and Tsuna sat at the ends with the Guardians and the Varia mixed together in between. However, all throughout dinner, Tsuna felt a growing sense of worry for which he could not find the source. He looked around and stopped once he saw an odd seating arrangement. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to let Levi take the seat next to Hibari... He kept a close eye on them in case Levi got too rowdy so close to the vicious prefect. After the warm meal, the Guardians and Varia each retreated to their common room to spend some time together before they went to bed.

Bel's kingdom was oddly technologically modern, something Tsuna hadn't expected considering their tumultuous-at-best trade agreements with other countries. The large flat screen TV was an unexpected but welcome surprise.

"I'm gonna watch some baseball," Yamamoto announced as he dug around the couch for the remote.

"Sure, sure," Tsuna replied distractedly. He still felt unnerved for some reason. Something didn't feel right. He quickly looked over the people gathered in the room. Gokudera was right next to him, Fran was watching Kerosuke swim around in a bowl with Lambo squealing at each large splash, and Chrome was sitting in an armchair and quietly reading. In the opposite corner of the room, Ryohei was doing his evening set of pushups and Hibari was sitting on the windowsill and polishing his bloodstained tonfas. And Reborn—

"Ah! Found it!" Yamamoto cried out as he held up the remote triumphantly. He clicked on the power button.

"…erith's coronation has been announced to happen in just one week."

_What?_ Tsuna turned to the TV.

A man with a microphone stood in front of a screen with a video of his grandfather and… _himself_ in the background. Small red letters in the corner showed that it was live footage. "Prince Tsuna, shown here with the old king, is only thirteen, but will soon be taking on the crown."

"Hey, Tsuna, isn't that you?" Yamamoto asked.

"But Tsuna-sama is right here," Gokudera said disbelievingly.

Tsuna stared at the screen with a chilling sense of apprehension.

_Who is that?_

* * *

The chapter is shorter than my usual because that's how I divided up my plot. I thought this part would be longer. *shrug* I might come back and edit some details later. Not sure yet. I need to develop the next chapter first.

Brick tag is from the online blog Hyperbole and a Half. It is amazing. It didn't feel right to say Bel and Rasiel wore tiaras even though they were, so… small crowns. The coronation ceremony was completely made up. I've never witnessed one (obviously), nor have I studied it, so meh.

Don't you just _love_ it when an author of a story you read gets into other fandoms? Delayed updates, new posts for fandoms you're not interested in—so delightful. And AP tests are close again…

Posted: 4-5-16 (super late sorry very sorry)


	16. Chapter 16 (and three extras)

Chapter 16

Hello. It's been forever and a day. Here's the last chappy~ You don't have to deal with the long waits anymore since there's no more to wait for~ …Probably.

Note: A nightcap is an alcoholic drink taken before going to bed.

* * *

They sat in silence as they watched the screen. The fake Tsuna was answering questions about "himself" and giving further details about the coronation, which was apparently set to happen in one week.

Tsuna shed his momentary shock and regained his calm. "I don't really have to do anything," he said. At his Guardians' quizzical expressions, he elaborated, "The nature of Merith's monarchy prevents anyone without the royal bloodline from taking the throne. Anyone who tries will… disappear. Even if I leave it alone, no one but me can presently take the throne."

Just then, the fake-Tsuna's right eye flashed a brilliant red. The iris seemed to have the character for six inscribed in it. A very familiar smirk graced his lips. On-screen Tsuna looked directly into the camera lens and smiled as if it was meant for a specific person.

Tsuna's Hyper Intuition quieted as he came to a realization.

"Where's Mukuro?"

* * *

An hour later, they were no closer to a consensus on what to do. "Leave him there," Hibari insisted yet again.

"We are _not_ leaving him there. We are going there for sure," Tsuna rebutted. "We just have to figure out how to do this without causing an uproar."

Fran slumped forward onto the table. "Can't you just call the fairy queen and tell her to stop the coronation?"

Tsuna shook his head. "It's already been announced. Stopping it like that would cause Merith to lose face."

Lambo yawned from where he was splayed on the floor. He toddled up to his feet and dragged himself to the table that had a rudimentary map of the island scrawled upon a sheet of paper. (Art wasn't exactly part of Tsuna's curriculum.) "Lambo-san plays a lot of strategy games. He is a master tactician!" he declared sleepily. "He will grace you all with his valuable knowledge, so listen well."

"Right, like you would be of any help for this," Gokudera scoffed. "This is a very serious matter with possibly catastrophic consequences. We can't mess this up."

Predictably, Yamamoto stepped in to calm him down. "Now, now, Hayato. Let him have a try."

"It's good for everyone to contribute, isn't it?" Tsuna said soothingly. "I'd like for all of us to work well together. This could be our first group mission," he added hopefully.

When faced with that, Gokudera couldn't help but agree.

Lambo was not fazed by the side argument. His eyes scrolled over the squiggly lines in the ocean and the rectangle that was labeled "castle". Lambo deliberated for a few seconds and then nodded assuredly to himself. "Alright. All you have to do here is… um…"

Gokudera mostly patiently waited for Lambo to stick together some vaguely coherent words, if only so that Tsuna would continue to smile happily at him.

Lambo's facial expression abruptly changed. He slammed a tiny index finger at the ocean. "Ahodera and I will come in from here to distract the giant worms so that Tsuna-nii and the others can slip in from this side. Then, Tsuna-nii, Reborn, and Chrome-nee will take this route to the castle. Ryohei-nii, Hibari-san, and Fran will go far ahead to scout and take care of any possible problems, like the guards and patrols. Yamamoto will follow them so that Hibari-san doesn't kill everyone. Once they're in, Ahodera and I will disappear into the port city so that the worms can't follow us and then take this route to the castle, where we'll meet up with the rest in front of the tree to Tsuna-nii's room."

Once Lambo finished his strategizing, Gokudera added his own ideas. "But the tree might leave us out in the open. I feel it's best if they hide somewhere more discreet while they wait for us."

Lambo agreed. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. We should go directly into Tsuna-nii's room, where the guards won't go unless they are called for."

Both of them nodded at each other decisively, coming to a satisfying conclusion.

And then Tsuna ruined it. "There's a slight problem with that plan," he started. "For one, I think it's best if we don't go in groups when we approach the island. The leviathans—" he pointed at the squiggles "—might not be so kind to you, especially since we're going against my grandfather in this. Also, there's no need to sneak onto the island since we can blend in with other passengers at that point. And when we land, I'm not entirely confident that all of you would make it to the castle if left alone or paired incorrectly." Tsuna looked specifically at Ryohei and Hibari when he said this. "But once we're close to the castle, it'll probably be alright to split up. By then, the guarding spirits will see that you're not a threat."

Gokudera's and Lambo's faces fell.

"But we can still go see my room if you want," Tsuna hastily added.

Gokudera blushed at having been seen through while Lambo only cared about still being able to see the prince's room.

Reborn took over from that point. "We'll take the same ship to the island and go through these paths to reach the castle. Tsuna's room is probably the best entrypoint since he is most familiar with the guard patrol schedules in that area. Once we're in, we'll split up into the previously mentioned groups. Group one is defense, group two will target Mukuro, and group three is offense for all other cases. Groups one and three will follow two. I will coordinate between the groups so that Tsuna can focus on finding Mukuro. Any questions?"

No one responded because they understood each part, didn't hear a single word of what had been said, or planned to go off on their own way anyways. Reborn didn't really care. "Meeting adjourned. Now get some sleep." Lambo had already conked out on top of the map. Reborn picked him up by the scruff to plop him into bed.

Tsuna withdrew to a corner of the room and took out his phone. He tapped out a line of numbers and waited for the call to connect.

"This is Phantomhive."

"Hello, Ciel. This is Tsuna."

Ciel lightly laughed. "Yes, the prince. I was expecting a call from you."

"So you'd noticed?"

"Of course I did. Whoever is pretending to be you is doing a horrible job of it."

"Nothing dubious, I hope?"

"Well..." Ciel trailed off, not knowing how to explain to the prince that his doppelganger had hissed at Sebastian. He was unsure if it had been a come-on or a sound of anger. Ciel was shocked when he heard it until he figured out that it was _not_ actually the prince.

Tsuna sighed. "I'll see what the damage is later. Anyways, the 'prince' is one of my Guardians. Do you remember Mukuro?"

Ciel nodded in realization. "That would explain it."

"I'm afraid to ask what happened."

"Don't worry. The past several hours are not so strange now that I know it was him."

"But no one else knows."

There was a short silence. "I… I suppose they may assume you are sick or," Ciel said slowly, ever so careful, "…pent up."

It did nothing to soothe Tsuna.

* * *

"...so please keep an eye on him. We'll arrive in Merith sometime within the week. I'll try to get there as fast as I can. Bye, Ciel." There was a faint click of the phone being hung up and light footsteps retreating into one of the bedrooms.

Xanxus detached himself from the wall he'd been leaning against and walked back to his own room. He hadn't meant to listen in on the brat's call, but the door was open while he was walking by. If he didn't want any eavesdroppers, the brat should've been more careful. But something was bothering him about that conversation. Merith. Why was that name so familiar? He pondered about the name all the way back.

Merith, Merith, Merith… Nothing was coming up in his mind. Irritated, he barged into the common room and demanded, "You trash, where's Merith?"

The question wasn't directed at any particular person, so Bel answered first. "Merith? That's the little prince's kingdom. Little Prince Tsunayoshi. I hear it's a dangerous place to be if you have bad intentions. Something about drowning? Or maybe being cut up into tiny pieces. Ushishishi… Sounds fun! Either way, no one in the underworld has been able to establish a foothold in that land even though it's highly coveted."

By the time Bel stopped talking, Squalo had already poured a nightcap and handed it to the boss.

Xanxus took the glass and threw it back in one shot, handing it back to Squalo for a refill. The swordsman loudly protested being treated as a servant but still obediently fetched another. "What for?" Xanxus asked.

Bel leaned back against the couch he sat on and threw one of his knives up to entertain himself. He flipped it in between his fingers, challenging himself with a skill game as he said, "A large portion of the mafia likes its alcohol. Even if the bosses don't order it, many underlings always attempt to seize control of the wineries there. And there are always hundreds of deaths." Bel caught the knife and threw it. The blade embedded itself into the wooden table, right in front of the wine. "Like that one. Death Black rosé. It's from Merith."

Levi hurried to hand the bottle to Xanxus, who took it and looked at the label. _The Crow's Vineyard. Third District of Merith. _He gave the bottle back to Levi and asked, "How did you know where it was made?"

Bel cheekily replied, "Who do you think has to track down all of the alcohol you like?"

Mammon floated down to land on Bel's shoulder. "That would actually be me."

Bel patted the baby's head. "True, but I'm still the one that has to get it."

Squalo hit Bel's head with the flat of his sword. "What are you talking about?! I'm the one that buys it! You're underage!"

Bel retaliated with a knife to make Squalo back away. "I'm there when we get it, so it counts."

Squalo snapped. "And I get flak for it! Who goes into a liquor store with a baby and a teen?" Those judging stares when he went to make a purchase always irked him. And considering he had to restock frequently, it was many more times than he would have liked to endure in the time he's been in the service of Xanxus.

Bel shrugged. "And that's what makes it fun."

Xanxus stomped down loudly and threw his empty glass between the quarreling duo to make them shut up. "You, clean that up," he directed Levi. While Levi went to go search for a broom and dustpan, Xanxus relaxed again now that everyone was quiet. Once he had their attention, he said, "We're going."

Squalo was the first to speak. "'Going'? What do you mean 'going'?! We have work to do! WORK! We don't have time to indulge your whims. We already have a backlog three pages long! It's going to take _at least_ two weeks to clear, and it's still growing."

Bel was next. "Ah? Going? To Merith? That sounds fun. Why not?"

Mammon appeared to be undecided. He muttered quietly to himself. "Working will bring in money, but going to Merith might reduce Boss's alcohol shortages. Less shortages will lead to less broken objects and people to replace. But two weeks of work..."

Mammon's ruminations got Squalo's attention. _If we do manage to put one of the wineries under Boss's name, we won't have to worry about looking for those ridiculously elusive bottles anymore. However, Bel warned us about the 100% past failure rate in takeover. Is it worth it?_ Squalo stole a glance at the boss. Xanxus was still calm and loosening up because of the nightcap. On unlucky days when they were unable to procure a Death Black, the boss would always send at least two underlings to the hospital. During missions, when it was just their squad together…

No, Squalo didn't want to deal with that ever again.

And so, the Varia chose to follow Tsuna to Merith.

* * *

Of course, there were a few problems with that. The next day, when they were boarding the plane to get back to Japan, the Varia followed and their decision became known to Tsuna because Levi couldn't hold his tongue.

"I _strongly encourage_ you _not_ to invade Merith," Tsuna stressed. "It is a _very bad idea_."

Tsuna was _not_ going to let these people go to Merith just to die. Even though they might not be friends quite yet, they were at least part of the Vongola, which he would have to take control of soon. Letting highly ranked members die so pointlessly would be unwise, to say the least.

Squalo grasped Tsuna's shoulders with a terrifying strength. "Kid, if I can help it, I am _never _dealing with Boss without his wine ever again."

Tsuna placed his own hands on Squalo's shoulders to force eye contact. "Is it really worth risking your life?" he asked gravely.

Without hesitation, Squalo answered, "Yes. You wouldn't know since you've never experienced it, but Boss without his alcohol is _torture_."

Tsuna stumbled back. He hadn't expected such a resolute answer. _What's so bad about Xanxus without wine?_

Thinking back to what he saw during dinner when there was none of the meat that Xanxus had wanted, Tsuna decided he really didn't want to know. He backed down. "Fine. We'll go to Merith together, but you can't attack any of the wineries there," he compromised.

"That defeats the whole purpose—!" Squalo protested.

Tsuna held up a finger. "You didn't let me finish. You can't attack the wineries, but I'll give you a third of the stocks for one of them. That should be fine, right?"

Mammon floated up to him. "You can't trick us like that. None of the wineries are in the stock market. I'd have known if they were."

"Not yet," Tsuna corrected. "When we solve this whole mess, I'll put the Crow's Winery in the stock market and give you a third. I'll keep another third, and the rest of the shares can be sold. That should give you enough sway to put you in their priority customers list."

This option was much more appealing than trying to break the string of failures in seizing one. "How fast can you do this?"

Tsuna thought for a moment. "If we get there and stop Mukuro within three days, I can take a day or two to fill out the paperwork and process it, so maybe a week at most?" he estimated. "Then I can give you the papers right after to sign them. But while you're there, do not kill anyone. It's a simple condition." Needless violence would lead to them being ejected, which would be inconvenient at best, tragic at worst. "Actually, it might be better just to stick with me. Just in case."

They worked out a few more details during the plane ride. Xanxus slept through it all. As long as he had his wine, he was satisfied. He only woke up once they landed. They rested for a day at the mansion and stocked up their bags before they returned to the airport to board a flight to Indonesia, from which they'd take a ship to Merith.

Two days later, they were still not at Merith. Instead…

"How did we end up in Australia?" Tsuna questioned impatiently. His emu picked delightedly at his hair. Yes. His emu. The one that he rode several months ago. It looked to have established itself as the head of the mob. Tsuna stroked its back to make it stop seeking attention from him. It crooned at him and continued to nuzzle his hair.

His friends found other emus to play with. Hibari looked especially happy (albeit keeping his stoic expression) as he gently played with a tiny flock of chicks. Natsu was once again disguised as a dog, playfully inviting some of the older chicks for a run.

"I thought it'd be a good idea to have some backup," Reborn said as he herded the emus onto a ship he rented.

Tsuna raised a brow. "Because the Varia aren't enough?"

"You know you like them," Reborn retorted. "Now help me load these emus into the ship or we'll be stuck here for a day."

Not wanting to waste anymore time than they already had, Tsuna sighed but complied. "Do you suppose the Australians will be angry that we're taking their emus?" he questioned before he pulled away from his emu and walked to the ship. Then, he opened his mouth and began his compulsion song.

Tsuna sang beautifully, calling attention to himself. One emu raised its head, then another and another. The sea of emus soon enough were transfixed on Tsuna, who led the mob onto the deck and entranced his human companions even without any of the effects affecting them.

While Tsuna and the rest were distracted, Reborn dialled a number on his Leon-phone. Someone on the other end picked up.

"Hello?"

"Chaos. This is Reborn…"

* * *

The side trip to Australia added time to their journey, but they were still well within the one week time limit until the coronation. They still had ample time before Mukuro would be in danger; however, it brought a niggling question into mind. How was Mukuro able to enter Merith so quickly and without any of the spirits retaliating?

Soon enough they were docked and unloading the emus. It was a strange sight; a tiny cloaked boy was singing as he stepped off of the ship, an orderly line of large birds following him.

"He's like the pied piper," a ship worker commented. Seeing so many huge birds in one place was odd but not the weirdest thing he'd seen that day. Prince Soma brought three elephants with him just two hours before: one as a congratulatory gift for Prince Tsunayoshi; one for his friend, Lord Ciel; and one for himself to ride. His co-worker nudged him to get him back to work. They had more luggage to drag out. Really, who needed thirteen bags for just a week-long trip? Which princess was this one? Elizabeth? Hela?

Once all of the emus were drawn out and Reborn directed his Guardians to keep them under control, Tsuna stopped singing and looked around, taking in his surroundings. He kept his hood up as a precaution in case anyone that may recognize him saw him. Apparently, it was a much needed precaution: the dock was filled with ships depositing visiting kings, queens, princes, and princesses. He should've known his grandfather would invite royalty to witness the crowning. It was an ideal opportunity to make or strengthen ties with other kingdoms.

The arrival of royalty, as inconvenient as it may seem, actually worked in favor for Tsuna. At any other time, he would be stopped and questioned for bringing a mob of emus to the kingdom. The presence of the visiting monarchs made it, while still not normal, at least not as remarkable. He knew the two Inu brothers would have caused a spectacle; they were rarely seen outside their kingdom without a pack of graceful white dogs prowling around them.

Tsuna found his emu and tugged it forward, prompting the others to follow. They slipped through the districts with ease, especially with Fran and Chrome covering and muting the noisy mob from residents. Tsuna and his group looked relatively normal compared to the Varia several paces behind them. Bel's unfamiliar crown attracted plenty of attention, publicizing the "Bloody Prince's" status as a new king. Next to him, Xanxus was on his throne, which Levi was forced to carry again, although he did so proudly. Xanxus himself looked to be a king even without a crown to mark his status.

Three hours of steadily making their way deeper into the kingdom led them to the district closest to the castle. As expected, guards were posted everywhere. Having so many high profile guests visiting meant they had to be extra vigilant, even if it was just for show.

Tsuna eyed the emus and quickly ran a plan through his head. He nodded. They would work.

He hummed quietly, enough for the emus to hear but not enough to carry over to the guards. The birds trod out of the neatly bunched group they had been in and spread out across the grounds. Once the emus were out of his singing range, they scattered around some gardens and plucked at the grapes growing along the trellises. Others found interest in the unseeing guards and observed the oddly dressed humans.

Tsuna motioned to Fran and Chrome. _Drop the illusions._

The Mist Flames fell. Instantly, there was chaos.

The guards were startled at the sudden appearance of the emus, and the emus were frightened by the sudden movements of the guards. One of the guards jumped backwards when he saw an emu standing two feet in front of him with its beak nearly touching his nose. The jump sent him into an emu that had been standing directly behind him. It screeched loudly in his ears.

The guards were sufficiently distracted, so Tsuna hurried toward the castle with an illusion cloaking him. Even the most astute of the guards would not be capable of seeing through the illusion, distracted as they were with emus chasing them down.

They managed to reach the castle gates without any more hindrances, although they were now down by about thirty emus. They'd have to be gathered up later. But right now, they had to get into the castle.

Tsuna fished his cell phone out of his bag and scrolled through the contacts, stopping at C. _Ciel Phantomhive. _He waited for the call to connect.

There was a click. "This is Phantomhive."

"Good day, Ciel. It's Tsuna."

There was a rustling of papers. "Oh, hello, prince. How may I be of service?"

"I need to know the movements of Mukuro—as recent as possible."

"The fake?" Ciel asked. Tsuna hummed in confirmation. "I've had Sebastian track him up until half an hour ago. He said he was talking with the king in the throne room about the coronation. I'll tell Sebastian to confirm he's still there." Ciel moved the phone away from his mouth and called out, "Sebas—!" He cut himself off when he realized he was talking to an empty room. "Hm?"

Tsuna's brows knitted together in slight worry. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, really. It's just that Sebastian's not here right now. I hadn't noticed him leaving."

Tsuna sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter. Mukuro should still be talking to Grandfather or at least be in that general vicinity. Inform me if he leaves the area, alright?"

"Yes, prince, and good luck."

They put the next phase of their plan into action. Out of sight, Tsuna shrugged off his cloak and stored it away in his bag. He then pulled out a flowing white shirt and pair of pants that he'd commissioned from Haru not too long ago. The material and appearance were very similar to his usual attire inside the castle. Chrome blushed and shyly turned away as he changed. No one else did.

Next, Mammon, Fran, and Chrome covered all of them but Tsuna in illusions. The motley group of mafiosi became a gathering of kings, queens, and their progeny—all except for Reborn.

"Shall we get going?" the hitman asked. Tsuna nodded and allowed himself to be swept up in Reborn's arms.

Reborn, in the guise of Ichigo, strolled right through the castle gates and bypassed the guards stationed there. "Didn't we talk about this, Tsuna? You can't just go wherever you want just because you're bored. Everyone is busy getting things ready for you. If you disappear again, you might give the king a heart attack," Reborn mock scolded.

"How did you find me again?" Tsuna complained mulishly. "I was gone for half an hour at most!"

"It looks like nerves are getting to you. You didn't even changed into duller clothes this time."

Tsuna looked down at himself as if surprised. "I didn't?"

The others watched the two while still in hiding. Gokudera was unexpectedly sullen. "I wanted to carry Tsuna-sama..."

"Too bad," Squalo said uncaringly. "If you want to carry him like that, you better get taller and stronger quickly. Now, we have to get in, too."

The group split up into smaller groups as determined by their temporary appearances. Xanxus and Squalo went first with the emus, but the guards saw the two Inu princes making a majestic entrance with their great white dogs. Once the guards turned their backs, Xanxus and Squalo veered away from the pathway to the castle door and instead went to the side, where Tsuna and Reborn stood in front of a tall tree. The illusion fell away now that it unneeded. The four of them waited for the rest to meet them there.

Next was Levi. He strode confidently through the gates, certain the illusions were foolproof. They were. The guards couldn't see through them at all. So when one of the guards walked up to him, Levi was surprised—up until the point the guard patted his head and said, "You're a little late, boy. Your masters are already in the castle. You better hurry before you lose your pack." With a last ruffling of his hair, the guard went back to his post. Levi stood there, stunned. "Man, I just love dogs, but it's scary to go up to them when they're all alert like before, you know?" the guard said to his fellow.

That was when Levi realized he was not disguised as a king or even a prince. He had been demoted to being one of the Inu brothers' dogs. Tearfully, he ran the rest of the way to the meeting place.

Chrome turned to look at Fran. The boy stared back at her. "What, you think _I _did that?" he asked. Chrome nodded. "But I didn't." She continued to stare. "Really." Chrome cocked her head. "I wish I did though," Fran admitted.

If it wasn't Fran, then… Chrome looked at Mammon. The Arcobaleno answered her unasked question. "Yes. I did. He didn't pay back his debt. This is just a reminder for him."

Somehow, Levi managed to hear that. "It isn't even my debt!" he shouted back at them.

"I don't care," Mammon dismissed. "There's a bill, and you're paying it." The Mist covered up their conversation, but its effects appeared to be weakening from prolonged use, so Chrome hurried them along.

The rest of the group passed the guards with relatively no trouble, and all of them bunched together at the base of the tree. "Are we ready?" Tsuna surveyed the people around him. Several of them, namely Xanxus, looked bored. If he didn't hurry, there was a possibility that he would lose the fragile control he was temporarily given.

"Get going, trash, before I lose my patience," Xanxus growled. His chair had to be left behind a while back because it would be too conspicuous, so he didn't have his usual opportunity to fall asleep when he was bored.

Tsuna did a quick head count to make sure he really didn't lose anyone (thankfully, he hadn't) and then hurried all of them up the tree. Tsuna chose to go last so he could stop anyone from sneaking off on their own. That, and it was easier this way to see them struggle with climbing a tree. Apparently, the mafia had little need or motive to familiarize themselves with such actions. Xanxus and Levi in particular seemed to have the most trouble because of their large frames.

Xanxus making tree climbing a regular part of the Varia's training not long after had nothing to do with this experience. At all.

Natsu had to change into human form so that he could grip the tree. Tsuna managed to force him into his everyday clothes before Natsu awkwardly fled up the bark. Tsuna scurried up the tree while snickering quietly. He managed to compose himself before he slid through his room's window. He didn't feel like being shot at.

The others appeared to have made themselves at home. Xanxus was sprawled all over his bed, luxuriating in the soft covers. Gokudera was admiring his small collection of books, which Tsuna didn't understand. What was so fascinating about history books? (To him, it was history. To many others, it would be a very long fairy tale. To Gokudera, it was a telling of Tsuna-sama's origins and merited intense study.) Mammon was listing off scarily accurate costs for various items, Bel was digging through his closet, and Lussuria was squealing over some pictures of when he was younger. Tsuna hastily hid those away before anyone else saw them. (Tsuna didn't know that Hibari already covertly made copies using his Flames. His little carnivore was just so cute.)

Tsuna coughed lightly to get all of their attention. "Okay, so Ciel told me that Mukuro is currently in the ceremonial room with my grandfather. The plan is to get there _without drawing attention._" He said the last part dryly with special care to look at Squalo while doing so. The man's yelling would get them caught for sure. "We are, obviously, in my room. The corridors outside should be empty since theoretically no one is in here. From here, we'll take a left, pass the next corridor, take another left, and go right." Tsuna swiped some paper from his desk and scrawled a few lines and landmarks on the sheet. "At that point, we'll be in the south wing. Then, we'll go left and then straight until there is a carved door. That's the throne room, our goal." Tsuna put down his pencil and proudly displayed his map.

Fran took one look at it before waving it away. "How about we just follow you?"

Reborn was equally unimpressed. "Evidently, you would never be able to make it as a cartographer."

Tsuna blushed. "Well, it's not like I need such skills..."

Chrome patted his back consolingly. It just made Tsuna feel more depressed.

* * *

When doing something risky, it's always good to have a backup plan, and maybe even a backup plan for the backup plan. However, there was no way that Tsuna could have predicted this and consequently act against it.

When Tsuna cracked open the door to peek outside, the corridor was indeed empty. But not far into their trek to the throne room, they were stopped by a stream of monarchs all walking in the same direction. Snatches of words as they walked by revealed why.

"—no idea why—"

"—of Merith must be tired—"

"—passing on the crown already—"

"—responsible child, to take over the workload—"

"—was a surprise—"

"Indeed, that declaration—!"

"—coronation moved up—"

Tsuna's blood froze. Surely he heard wrong…? He jumped slightly, startled as he felt his phone vibrate and hastily picked it up. "Yes?"

Ciel was on the other end. "Your imposter has made a move," he started off, not bothering with frivolous greetings. "He declared he's ready to take the crown, and since all of the guest invites checked in, the king decided to move up the date of the coronation."

Tsuna asked, with no hope of good news, "And that would be?"

"Right now, actually," Ciel said bluntly. "It's in the ceremonial room. Prince, I hope you're at least in the castle by now if you plan on stopping it. The gates have been closed off to prevent anyone else from entering—or maybe from exiting. Also, I hear there's an emu epidemic in the gardens. I don't suppose you have anything to do with that?"

Tsuna sighed. Right. He forgot about them. "Don't worry about them," he said. "Now, I'll be heading to stop Mukuro from killing himself. I'll deal with the emus later, so don't let Sebastian change the menu to emu fillet or anything."

He hung up and took a moment to collect himself. _Why is my life so complicated?_ he bemoaned within the privacy of his mind. Tsuna straightened up. Breakdowns could happen later. He had to reach the coronation before it started.

* * *

"EXTREEEEEME!" Ryohei yelled as he punched another guard in the face. He fell down with a rather loud squeal, attracting more attention towards their general direction. Their new pursuers spotted them quickly; they were a large group of unfamiliar people after all.

_Well, there goes our chance to do this quietly._ Squalo hadn't shouted even a single word, yet they were already caught. Tsuna sighed, exasperated with his current situation. Then again, they weren't exactly prepared for a successful infiltration. At least, not without detection.

Another young princess screamed as Ryohei roared in excitement. That made the third one in a row, if one didn't count the old prince that shrieked before fainting. The incessant sounds were giving Tsuna a headache, but the presence of the screams gave him mild consolation in that he wasn't the only one suffering. However, the racket continued to attract yet more guards, and it was tiring to hold Xanxus off in simply killing them all.

"Ah!" a guard shouted. "It's Prince Tsunayoshi!"

Tsuna wanted to crouch down in a corner and cry. _It took them that long to notice me?_ Maybe the guards were getting too lax because of the relative safety in the kingdom, but to have the prince stand unnoticed in a group of seemingly hostile people? That was inexcusable. His security was going to be the laughingstock in the next Royalty Summit.

* * *

They were at the south wing when Ciel called again. "Yes?" Tsuna answered as Fran pushed another guard down the stairs. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

"I'm sorry to bother you while you're so busy—"

Evidently, the background noise was filtering through.

"—but I thought you'd like to know that the coronation has started. They brought out the crown, and your friend is standing with the king at the platform."

"Oh, da—"

Multiple guards screamed in terror in the face of the unexplainable horrors that only they could see. Tsuna wanted to pity them, he really did, but he couldn't muster up the slightest bit of sympathy. He still didn't forgive the guards for not noticing him in the chaos sooner—he could've been kidnapped or... something.

"So I suggest you hurry if you want him to live," Ciel suggested. "Oh, and as forewarning, there are cam—"

Tsuna dodged the flying knife that almost cut off his right ear. Unfortunately, his phone didn't make it; it was pinned to the wall, crackling with sparks and indistinguishable noise.

"..." Tsuna turned to Bel, who tried to appear innocent but failed by a large margin. He still had three knives poised between his fingers after all.

Just then, Ryohei cleared up the path ahead, so Tsuna resolved to push the matter aside for later and focus on getting to the ceremonial room for now. "Natsu!" he called, summoning his lion.

"Gao!" came the answering call. Natsu detached from the prey he'd been playfully chasing around and returned to his human's side. Tsuna leapt onto the lion's back and prompted him to run forward. There really wasn't any more time to lose.

* * *

Mukuro confidently stood in front of Tsunayoshi's throne, taking note of the minute details carved into the hickory. Tsunayoshi's throne…

On the other side of the doors to the ceremonial room, the two guards standing on either side straightened up when they heard quickly thudding footsteps and a shout of, "Open the doors!"

One of them squinted. "Isn't that Prince Tsunayoshi?" he asked. The tiny figure on a fiery lion was swiftly getting closer, and the second guard was able to confirm his identity.

"But isn't he supposed to be in there?" The other pointed at the doors.

The first scrambled to the handle of the door. "Never mind that! Open the doors! He's coming!" The second unceremoniously grabbed the other side, and in unison, the two guards pushed the large doors open to grant him entrance.

Not a second later, the lion jumped through the barely opened entryway, and the force of the leap slammed the doors the rest of the way. The wood banged against the walls, startling the occupants of the room. Many heads swiveled their way due to the sudden entrance.

"Stop this coronation!" Tsuna commanded. He slid off of Natsu and strode to the platform, where his grandfather and Mukuro stood. He ignored the confused and disgruntled mutterings of the kings at the interruption, choosing only to think about his traitorous Mist.

King Roderich abruptly stood up from the seated royals. "What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded.

Tsuna stopped on the first step up to the platform. "Yes, what is the meaning of this?" Tsuna calmly repeated. "I'd like to know that, too…" He looked straight at his apparent doppleganger. "Mukuro."

His fake stopped his act of being shocked and relaxed his form, sweeping a hand through his hair. "Kufufu..." he chuckled. "So you know, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Surprised gasped filled the room as the "prince" was engulfed in an indigo fog and emerged as a completely different person. Mukuro finally shed his pretense and revealed himself.

Tsuna remained vigilant and continued to watch the amused Mist, who quietly laughed and spread his arms as if welcoming him in for a hug. "Oh, come now, Tsunayoshi-kun. You haven't seen me in a week and you're acting so cold," he falsely complained.

Tsuna slowly walked the rest of the way up the platform. "I'd like for you to explain yourself, if you don't mind. And even if you do mind, I don't care."

Mukuro finally put his arms down, knowing that Tsunayoshi wouldn't humor him with a hug. "Oh, fine." He sighed heavily as if he was giving in to a heavy burden. "It was your grandfather's fault," Mukuro immediately blamed.

"My grandfath—?" Tsuna gasped as he was suddenly swept up in a tight hug. He stayed unresponsive, not knowing what to do with his grandfather holding him tightly.

"Tsuna-kun," the old king whispered in his ears. "Tsuna-kun, please stay… Stay here with me, with us," he pled.

Tsuna finally began to struggle. "But Grandfather, I—"

The king interrupted him. "I know, I know. You promised you'd do _that_ with that rotten _Reborn_," he spat, showing his obvious dislike of the Sun Arcobaleno, "and I know you have to keep your promises. But, my dear grandson, I'll give in this time."

The young prince looked up to meet his grandfather's eyes, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

The king held him tighter. "I'll stop protesting your participation in it," he swore. "I won't send any more people after you or try to separate you from _Reborn_." Again, he spat the name like a curse. Then, his voice turned gentle and pleading again. "But in return, I'd like you to stay here. Don't leave Merith like that again. The outside world is dangerous. I know that your so-called Guardians are decent at the least—or so Sebastian claims—"

In the background, Ciel gave a sideways glance to his pleasantly smiling butler.

"—but too many things can still go wrong. You're all too inexperienced in the outer world. You haven't even learned our sword style yet!"

"Through no fault of my own," Tsuna muttered.

His grandfather let it pass unnoticed. "So please, Tsuna-kun, promise you won't leave?"

Tsuna was let go, and he stood silently for a few moments even though his mind was already made up. The king slightly shook, showing to Tsuna that he was nervous about his decision.

Tsuna quietly sighed and stepped forward to reciprocate the hug. "Yes, Grandfather, I promise."

One of the spectators began to clap, and soon enough all of them were clapping at the reunion. Tsuna blushed at the realization that all of it happened in front of the other monarchs. He could predict the gossip at the next summit.

Tsuna felt his grandfather's hand ruffle his messy hair. "Now, how about we finish this coronation?"

The little prince smiled up at him. "Yes!"

So the old king led Tsuna through the ceremony—repeating the vows, giving thanks to the spirits, breaking three white wing bones of a Wind Sparrow, and drinking purified wine—before presenting to Tsuna the king's crown, at which point the ceremony ended with another loud cheer. The prince was now the king.

Tsuna's grandfather left the platform as the other monarchs left their seats to give good wishes to the newly crowned king. Tsuna's Guardians, who had snuck into the room sometime during the make up with his grandfather, were the first to reach him. They patted his back and gleefully shouted their congratulations. Gokudera looked especially starry-eyed.

The previous king slunk away in the midst of the chaos, reaching a set of stairs that led to the second-floor level balcony. He greeted the man that was sitting there. "Hello, Matt. Was it all okay?"

Matt flicked away the ash from his cigarette before answering, "Yep. The angle from here was perfect. The audio was crisp and clear as well. There should've been absolutely no problems with the broadcast." Matt fiddled around with the camera next to him, turning it off and preparing it to be put away. He'd have to thank Sebastian for getting him such a high quality camera.

The old man scrunched up his eyebrows. "Broadcast?"

Matt nodded once. "Yeah, the broadcast. I connected it to Ashford News, NHK, Lotus, and Order," Matt listed off. The confuddled expression he got in return caused the dawning of a realization. "…Oh. Was this… _not_ supposed to be a live stream?" Matt asked hesitantly.

Tsuna's grandfather palmed his face as he realized what happened. "No, it wasn't. You were supposed to _record_ this to consolidate Tsuna-kun's promise."

"Ah…" Matt hummed in belated understanding.

* * *

In Namimori, Japan, the middle school students flipped out when word got out that they'd been attending school with the prince of Merith.

Somehow, the flaming lion and Mukuro's Flames were lost and forgotten about in all of the chaos.

* * *

Once the ceremonial room was cleared of the visiting monarchs, Ciel met up with Tsuna and Reborn. "It all went according to plan," Reborn commented. "Well done." Reborn and Sebastian exchanged a nod of acknowledgment.

Ciel glared at Sebastian. "You knew about this?"

Sebastian smiled. "Of course. You can't deny that you wanted the prince to come back as well."

Ciel spluttered, "W-well, I—"

He was unable to continue his denial because Sebastian unsealed a stalk of catnip from a plastic bag, releasing its scent. The maneki neko immediately quieted down and looked intently at the plant. Sebastian handed it to his entranced master, who excitedly took it and ran off to play with the intoxicating stalk.

Sebastian put away the plastic bag. "Coincidentally, I have finished cultivating the catnip field you talked about before. There are three types of catnip, and silver vine is interspersed within the fields and along the sides. I have already spotted four maneki nekos making a visit. It shouldn't be long before they make it a regular sunning place. After that, it'll be simple to ask favors from them."

Tsuna smiled at the butler. "Thank you, Sebastian. I'm sure the Arcobaleno will be delighted to hear that."

Sebastian bowed low at the waist. "It is the least I could do for you, _my king._"

* * *

For those that don't understand what just happened: Reborn coordinated with Sebastian and the old king to get Tsuna to go back to Merith. Reborn wanted to stop being bothered by spies, the king wanted his grandson to be safely kept within the kingdom, and Sebastian knew that Ciel wanted to see him again. Reborn sent Mukuro to Merith shortly after the coronation, which is why Tsuna felt uneasy during the dinner after it. Reborn called Sebastian when they were in Australia to tell him their ETA and to tell him to prepare to move up the time of the coronation.

I'm somewhat surprised no one guessed Mukuro because apparently, according to my sister, "You do not just _not_ notice his non-presence" (referring to that one paragraph at the end of the previous chapter where I listed out everyone's activities except Mukuro's). And credits to my sister, DragonClaw827 (yes, she's alive!), for helping me write a bit of the end.

So, overall, I failed at the slash. Meh. I expected it. Do I need to change the summary? It's a bit old… Reemergence of the emu army because why not. I don't know if I want to write a sequel yet. How would this even continue?

Posted: 7/21/16

Here are some extras if you want to read more about this verse. :)

* * *

**Extra: Wine-less Xanxus**

Xanxus was never really a pleasant person to be around, even more so when he didn't have his meat or alcohol, and he would throw around his subordinates to work off his anger until one of the two was brought to him. However, there was one thing more terrifying than anything else: a deficiency in Xanxus's favored nightcap. On nights without at least one glass of Death Black, Xanxus would throw his usual fit and land at least two people in the hospital, leaving to sulk in his room only once his surroundings and nearby subordinates were thoroughly mauled. The next day, Mammon and Squalo would rush to find a new bottle in hopes of quelling Xanxus's anger before things got too bad.

And by that, they meant the oddly improbable events that always happened whenever Xanxus missed his nightcap.

After a mission involving the harrowing assassination of the boss of the Deceduto familia, Squalo forgot to check if they had another bottle of Death Black in stock after the one he had on hand was poured empty. Consequently, all of them had to suffer for it.

The next night, Xanxus smashed his empty glass on the floor, riddled the couch and walls with bullet holes, and kicked down three unfortunate underlings that crossed his path before he retreated to his room. Mammon immediately began a search for shops that might carry the exclusive drink, but he came up empty.

During a training session the next day, Bel mishandled his knife, causing him to cut off his bangs and unnerve everyone with his eyes until they grew back long enough to cover them four months later.

The day after, Mammon made a mistake in the stock market, resulting in a loss of over four million euros. Mammon's displeased mutterings frightened the new recruits, who believed the Mist was setting a curse on them. With the way things were, it was not hard to believe.

On the same day, Levi's pants were eaten by a goat that had escaped from a nearby farm while they were on a short mission. He had to walk all the way back to the base pantsless because no one shared his size and the clothing stores in the city were strangely all out of pants of the right fitting. Walking with the half-naked man was an embarrassing event that none of them were eager to repeat.

All unfortunate events abruptly stopped once Mammon finally managed to track down a store with one bottle of Death Black.

Two years after Tsuna was crowned king, he heard of this and correctly deduced that Xanxus' bloodline was mixed with that of a nekomata.

* * *

**Extra: Royalty Summit**

The summit that year took place in the kingdom of Mu. The host, King Light, cleared out a whole wing of his castle to accommodate all of his visitors. Attendance was expected to be high because of the welcoming of three new kings. The guests were given two days to arrive, so the actual meeting would take place on the third day.

The first to arrive was King Lecter, as punctual as ever. The second to come were the Inu brothers and their pack of dogs. Next was Princess Elizabeth, then Prince You XiaoMo, and King Ling Xiao. Many more came over the next two days, but none of the three guests of honor arrived.

On the third day, all of the monarchs were seated and patiently waiting for the meeting to be officially begun. However, King Light held off on it in hopes that at least one of the kings would make it. The kings and queens entertained themselves by exchanging gossip like old housewives.

"Were you at Merith that day?'

"I _was!_ Wasn't it exciting?"

"Very surprising and emotional."

"I hear he was planning on giving it a name soon."

"Wonder if he'll announce it."

"Prince Rasiel wasn't dead, did you hear?"

"Do we need to pay reparations to King Bel?"

King Light turned to his neighbor, bored with waiting in silence. " I suppose they may not be coming. That is an unwelcome surprise, considering so many people came to see them. Perhaps they simply do not know that it is rude to keep their elders waiting."

King Roderich looked at him shrewdly. "You excuse their lack of manners with youth, yet you are barely in your twenties yourself."

"True, but I know how to send a notice beforehand to a function I might be late to."

Just then, four figures skittered through the door.

"I _told_ you we should've left early, but _no_. _You_ always think it's more fun to barely be on time. And how did you get us lost at the plaza? We had a map!" King Tsunayoshi complained fruitlessly.

The person next to him, King Bel, waved him off. "The prince—ahem, _king_—doesn't need to know how to read a map."

The two other people walked uncertainly behind them. It felt a bit embarrassing to be close to people acting so out of conduct.

"Just ignore them, Nunnally," King Lelouch said resolutely.

"Alright, Big Brother."

The four of them found their seats at the table—all next to each other as the newest monarchs—and expectantly waited for the meeting to start.

King Light coughed delicately. "Before we begin, may I ask why you failed to come on time?"

Bel took the initiative. "Tsunayoshi-kun didn't want to leave the bed—"

Discreetly, Tsuna jabbed his hand into Bel's side. "I only said I wanted to leave on my own because _someone_ always refuses to prepare appropriately. Case in point, we were late. Again."

Bel leaned his cheek against his hand on the table. "But you know it was fun, like always."

Tsuna sent him an unhappy glare. "I believe you mean stressful."

"And I know you know we had to make that stop. How else were the poor new king and princess going to get here?"

King Lelouch intervened. "We _did_ have a plane ready to go—"

He was ignored. "That doesn't explain how we were two days late. I had everything ready, but you messed it all up,"

"It's fine, it's fine," Bel dismissed.

"_It really isn't—_"

King Light cleared his throat again. "Alright. Now that that's cleared up, I would really like to get the summit started." _I need a drink._

Tsuna blushed. "A-ah. Of course. My apologies."

Light nodded in acceptance. "Now, for this—"

He was unable to call the meeting into order yet again because of the appearance of more people.

A tall teenager (carrying a baseball bat for some reason) looked around the room until he caught sight of Tsuna. "Oh! There he is!"

Tsuna watched his Guardians raucously enter the room and come to him, chattering all the way. Hibari first seemed to hold a short staredown with the older of the two Inu brothers before both sides acquiesced with a nod to each other.

"Hi, guys. What are you doing here? I thought you had work to do in Sicily."

Gokudera hummed in affirmation. "We did, but your grandfather said this was more important."

_Of course he did,_ Tsuna thought.

"He said he doesn't trust you alone with all of the old fogies!" Ryohei repeated.

Some of the kings snorted in fake derision. "Like he can talk," commented King Diederich.

"Nonetheless," King Sesshomaru declared, "all guards are to wait in the individual rooms until the meeting is over. You should know this, Prince Tsuna, considering you have attended summits with the previous king several times before."

Tsuna leaned back slightly. "Oh, really. Are you really going to pretend that we don't know that all of your dogs are currently watching us from under the table?" Five seats up, King Taiga leapt out of his chair. "I know Ryuk-san is sitting in the rafters, as usual, and don't try to tell me that Mustang-san isn't hiding in the fireplace."

There was a moment of silence as several of the kings were found out. Then, King Sesshomaru turned to his younger brother. "It was one of your dogs that gave them away, was it not?"

As Prince Inuyasha was spluttering denials, Mustang slipped off of the smoke shelf and fell out of the aforementioned fireplace. Ryuk jumped down from the ceiling, right in front of Light, who only sighed at his guard's delight in scaring several of the kings around them into screaming.

Tsuna continued to smile pleasantly through the chaos that he inadvertently created. "So shall we start the summit?"

* * *

**Extra: The Nonexistent Movie**

"So, Tsuna," Reborn began as he strode into Tsuna's office in the castle, "when do you plan to start filming?"

"What?" The young king put down the paper he'd been reading to focus on the much more interesting visitor. "Filming for what?"

"You know, that movie," the hitman said vaguely.

Tsuna's brows furrowed. "I don't recall ever saying I'd be in a movie."

"Oh, really? Then I guess all of those people will be disappointed." Reborn sighed, making a show of being crestfallen when in reality he felt no such thing. He slowly walked back to the door, waiting until…

"Hold on." Ah, there it was. Reborn turned back around. "What movie?" Tsuna asked again.

Reborn brought up his phone and showed Tsuna the screen. "This one."

Tsuna coughed and choked as he saw a picture of himself (cloaked at the time) and Squalo facing off on the sidewalk in Namimori. "But this isn't a movie! This was—!"

"That's not what the netizens think," Reborn chided. "You should've cleared this up a while ago. Now they're expecting a movie from you, even though they don't know it's you."

"Well, if they're expecting a movie, they'll be disappointed. I haven't got time to write a script and act," Tsuna said resolutely.

"Even if you have to leave behind all of your very interesting king work to keep your nonexistent promise of filming a movie?" Reborn questioned. "I'm sure they'll understand. After all, these papers simply can't be kept waiting."

Tsuna side-eyed the evil papers. Reborn gleefully watched the internal conflict play across his face. _Duties or a much needed vacation?_ "…I suppose I'll have to keep that nonexistent promise," Tsuna decided.

Screw the papers. He was bored.

Reborn smiled. "Perfect. Now let's hitch a ride on the next ship out to Japan. It's just a short trip, no more than a… month, so it should be okay with your grandfather, right?"

Tsuna nodded. "He just said I have to _stay_ here, which can be interpreted as _living_ here. As long I consider this place my permanent home, I'm technically not breaking any promises. I'll get my Guardians. Can you pack my bags for me?"

Reborn nodded, getting a pleased smile from Tsuna in return. Tsuna left the office, leaving Reborn alone in the room. The hitman glanced at the papers on the desk. He picked one up. _A marriage proposal._ The first sheet had a picture of a young brunette with amethyst eyes. _A vi Britannia_, Reborn noted. He acknowledged it was a good idea to make strong connections to influential people, but…

Reborn folded the paper up and tore it up before dropping it into the recycling bin next to the desk.

_I'm not giving him up to anyone._

In Namimori, a white-haired male wandered around the park as if unsure where to go. "Aw, I thought he'd be here somewhere," he lamented. Fourteen-year-old Byakuran sighed. "Tsu-kun, where are you~?"


End file.
